A Snowy Love
by ele-boppers
Summary: "Who ever said you had to spend it alone?" whispered a voice from behind her. Sakura turned around quickly, recognizing the voice but completely unbelieving. "Who's there?" She said looking around. Contains Fluffs.
1. Chapter 1

A Snowy Love

Saki- "Hey everyone this is just a small practice story nothing too big. Oh look here's Hidan!"

Hidan- "I hate saying this sh*t!

Saki- "Just do it."

Hidan- "Fine. Saki doesn't own Naruto or any of the products associated with it."

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

It was cold outside and Sakura didn't want to be walking home alone in the dark. "Everyone's away on a mission. Only I have to stay behind and train with Tsunade-sama." She sighed and continued walking. The air was frigid and the moon only cast a slight glow on the streets. Sakura wrapped her shawl around her and kept walking her breath blowing in swirling puffs in front of her. "I would love to be in Suna right now. Even in December it's still warm there." She muttered and walked a little faster down her street. She walked up her steps and unlocked her door stepping into the welcome warmth of her house. Shivering at the sudden warmth she shut her door and slipped off her shawl and scarf. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was only eight. Sighing she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with some ramen before putting it in the microwave and settling into the couch with her book. She had just finished a chapter when the microwave beeped and she reluctantly set down her book to go retrieve her food. Sakura put the ramen on the table and began to eat absentmindedly drifting off into thought. _"Naruto is with Jiraya for some extra training, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten are gone on missions as well as Kiba, Neji, Choji, Shino, Shikamaru and everyone else." _She sighed finished her ramen and put the dish in the sink to wash later. Sakura turned and stretched before walking into her living room again. She turned on her stereo and settled back into the couch with her book while Mozart's _Moonlight Sonata_ played quietly through the room. After a while she put down her book and listened to the music playing through the room. The melody was so calming to her that without her knowing she slipped into sleep and dreamed of a beautiful snowy night with a full moon. In her dream she stood at the Konoha Bridge as snow fell softly around her melting on her cheeks as it drifted down. She smiled and turned in a circle catching the snow on her tongue as it fell. Sakura heard a loud "Beep!" and was jolted out of her dream to the sound of her alarm clock going off in her bedroom. She stood up and stretched before yawning and walking into her room to turn it off. "Ughh it's a Saturday why did I set this thing?" She rubbed her eyes and sat on her bed. "I might as well get dressed and go to the market. I need some more food." She stood up and put on new clothes before walking out the door with her scarf and a new jacket on. The morning was cold as usual and clouds hung on the horizon_. "Huh. Maybe it will snow today. The pretty snow will make braving the cold a little more rewarding."_ She thought. Sakura trudged down the road into the market and greeted some of the people sitting in a tea shop drinking warm tea and talking. _"I love living here everyone is so nice even if it gets cold in the winter." _She smiled and continued walking. She stopped at a shop and got some more ramen and other food before walking to a little store down the road. The shopkeeper greeted her and handed her some medicinal herbs and a little sprig of holly before smiling and saying. "The holly is free." Sakura smiled and thanked her before paying for the herbs and continuing down the road. The shop keeper shouted something else to her in a cheery voice and Sakura waved to her not really catching what she said. Some younger children were running around the street chasing each other in a game of tag until one little girl fell and began to cry. Sakura set down her groceries and walked over to her bending down to see her. "Are you ok sweetie?" She said to her petting her hair.

"N-n-no." she cried. "I f-fell a-and hurt m-my knee." She sobbed pulling up her pants leg and holding her knee against her.

"Oh don't worry sweetie I'll make it not hurt anymore ok?" Sakura said smiling at her.

"Y-you w-will?" The girl said looking at her with big brown eyes full of tears and disbelief.

"Yes I will. Just hold very still ok? I promise it won't hurt at all." She moved the girl's hands away from her leg and looked at the small cuts on her knee. She raised a hand glowing with green chakra and began to heal the girl. The girl stopped sniffling and watched as her cuts began to disappear. "Ok I'm done does it feel better now?" Sakura asked her smiling.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" The girl said giving Sakura a hug. Sakura smiled and hugged her back before watching her run over and keep playing with her friends.

_"What a cute little girl."_ She thought. She picked up her groceries and walked down the street to her house. Sakura set the groceries on the table and ate a quick lunch before reading her book for a while. When the clock said six thirty she stood up and began to make her supper. It was getting dark out and she had just put the chicken in the oven to bake. She looked out the window and saw that is was snowing. "Oh how pretty!" She exclaimed. She looked outside and saw the flakes creating a thick layer of snow on the ground. "The chicken won't be done for about two hours I think I'll go walk it is so pretty outside." She pulled on her boots and her jacket and scarf before opening the door and walking down the street in the snow. Sakura smiled and turned a corner before stopping in front of the Konoha Bridge. The moon was up and everything was sparkling white. "Oh it looks just like my dream!" she gasped taking in the beautiful scene around her. The snow fell onto her hair and cheeks and she giggled before sticking out her tongue to catch it as it drifted down. She heard church bells chime and some carolers laughing a few blocks down and she gasped at the sound. "Oh my gosh it's Christmas Eve! I've been so busy and focused on my work that I haven't noticed the calendar!" She mentally kicked herself for forgetting and sighed. "Normally my friends would have reminded me but they are all gone on missions. No doubt meeting up somewhere to celebrate with each other for the holidays." She muttered. She sighed and leaned on the railing looking up at the moon and snow as it fell onto the frozen river and the trees around the bridge. "At least it's a beautiful Christmas Eve, even if I can't share it with someone." She breathed.

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><p>End of chapter 1!<p>

I hope you guys liked it leave me comments and feedback please!


	2. Chapter 2

Saki- "Hey guys! I'm back sorry if you've been waiting I try to update them really quickly."

Tenten- "She's typing as fast as she can!"

Saki- "Yeah Tenten care to do the honors?"

Tenten-"Yeah! Saki doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products so buzz off!"

Saki- "Thanks Tenten, now onto our story!

Chapter 2

"Who ever said you had to spend it alone?" said a voice from behind her.

Sakura turned around quickly recognizing the voice but completely unbelieving. "Who's there?" she said looking around. A figure stepped out of the shadows and smiled.

"Me." Said Gaara standing at the end of the bridge in a black jacket with a red scarf.

"Gaara! Why are you here?" said Sakura completely taken aback.

"Well I knew that everyone was on missions except for you and I couldn't stand the thought of you being alone for Christmas after all you've done for me, even if I'm not big on the holiday myself, I thought you might like it. So I came to surprise you." He said shrugging.

Sakura's face softened at his kind gesture. "Gaara how nice of you! You didn't have to do that for me! I don't mind being alone." She said even though in her head she was very grateful that she didn't have to be alone on Christmas.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Gaara said walking over to her with his hands in his pockets.

"I was making dinner earlier so you can come over and we can share it I always make too much for me to eat alone. I guess I'm used to people dropping in to eat it with me." She said laughing.

"Ok." Said Gaara following her off of the bridge.

The two walked through town and people called the greetings of "Merry Christmas!" as they passed by. Sakura cheerfully returned these greetings as did Gaara. They turned onto her street and Sakura opened the door and let Gaara inside. She took off her coat and scarf and hung them up on a peg to dry. Gaara did the same and followed her into the kitchen. Sakura noticed that he shivered a little and looked uncomfortable in her house. "I'll get a fire started you can sit on the couch or in the kitchen the chicken should be ready in a minute." Sakura said walking into the living room.

"Ok thanks. Said Gaara sitting on the couch and watching her start a warm fire in the hearth. Soon the room was warm and Sakura was in the kitchen preparing the meal.

"Would you like rice and green beans with the meal Gaara?" She said to him.

"That would be fine." He said standing up and walking into the kitchen to help. "I can cook the rice if you want." He said to her as she prepared the chicken.

"No you came all the way here to see me the least I could do is…" Gaara cut her off.

"That was my decision. I'll cook the rice you were the one nice enough to invite me here for dinner. Don't worry about it Sakura, I've got it." He said as she scurried over to help him. She tried to grab the rice from the cupboard but was beaten to it by Gaara who held it away from her and motioned for her to go. She pouted a little and he chuckled to himself before pouring the rice into a pot of water and stirring it. Sakura hummed as she fixed the chicken making it look absolutely mouthwatering before making the green beans. Gaara poured the rice into a colander and then into a bowl adding a little bit of soy sauce before bringing it over to Sakura who had finished with the beans and had set the table. She took the rice and their hands brushed together as she took hold of the bowl she blushed and he pulled away going to grab the green beans to put on the table. When he returned Sakura had put the chicken on the table and lit some candles in the center of the spread.

"Oh it looks so lovely! She exclaimed.

"Yeah you've really outdone yourself Sakura." Gaara agreed setting down the green beans.

"You helped Gaara! It wouldn't look this good if you hadn't decided to come to Konoha to visit me for Christmas." Sakura said to him as she sat down.

"Temari and Kankuro were meeting Shikamaru and some others in Fire country and I was alone as well. I thought that we could be alone together. Besides, in Suna it never snows so it never really feels like Christmas to me." He said to her plainly.

"Still you made the effort to visit me and that is a reason for me to be very grateful." She said to him reaching for the rice to put on her plate.

"It was my pleasure Sakura please don't get too high strung about this." He said to her cutting the chicken for them.

"No matter you are here now and we can enjoy this lovely Christmas Eve." She said smiling.

"Not to mention this lovely dinner you've prepared for us." He said nodding to the food as he spooned some green beans onto his plate.

"We've prepared, and yes it is lovely please dig in!" She said cheerfully to him.

He raised a piece of chicken to his mouth and chewed it carefully. "This is amazing! Try some it is delectable." He nodded to her food and continued eating his.

"Glad you think so." She also began to eat and noted how good it was as well. They sat and ate for a while talking about little things concerning their friends and their own lives in their towns. Gaara told her about the new advances in Kankuro's puppets and about Temari's "secret" crush on Shikamaru. Sakura laughed at this. "Temari and Shikamaru would be cute together he needs someone to get him off of his lazy butt." She laughed again.

"Temari thinks I don't know so this is kind of a secret." He said slightly grinning.

"I won't tell Temari's like a sister to me." Sakura said laughing.

End of Chapter 2!

Hope you liked it give me suggestions or reviews please!


	3. Chapter 3

Saki-"I'm back! Did you miss me?"

Lee-"I missed you Saki-san!"

Saki-"Yeah well you don't really count Lee I was asking them."

Lee-"Oh sorry Saki-san."

Saki-"Yeah, yeah come on Lee the people are waiting say the lines."

Lee-"Hai! Saki doesn't own Naruto or any of their products because she is too nice to do that."

Saki-"Ok Thanks Lee! Onto the story!"

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

Gaara smiled a little and stood up to help Sakura bring the dishes to the kitchen. She laughed as he told her more about life in Suna and he smiled as she explained Naruto's antics and her life in Konoha. They washed the dishes and put away the leftovers before walking into the living room. Sakura sat on the sofa and motioned for Gaara to sit as well he did but looked uncomfortable.

"So, Gaara, where are you staying in Konoha?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know yet I was planning on finding a hotel to stay at while I was here. I didn't know how long I would be here." Gaara admitted.

"Gaara! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Sakura said to him worriedly.

"Relax Sakura it's fine." Gaara said shaking his head.

"I have a guest room you can stay here. I'm not letting you stay in some hotel on Christmas!" She said crossing her arms.

_"Oh great. When she does that there's no moving her judgment. I'm not getting out of this one am I?"_ He thought. "Ok fine Sakura I'll stay here for a while I have to get back to Suna after Christmas though I only planned to come for a day or two." He said to her.

"That's fine by me!" she said to him smiling as she flipped on the TV. "What do you want to watch Gaara?" she said handing him the remote.

"I don't really care what we watch but I want to check the weather first." He flipped to the weather channel and they listened to the report.

**"There is a blizzard moving into Konoha tomorrow night. It is expected to last for about three days. The aftereffect however will make travel impossible for at least a week. Another blizzard is predicted to hit afterwards so travel will be impossible for quite a while longer. So bundle up in those blankets snuggle close and enjoy the warmth of a fire and some tea!"**

"Wow looks like you'll be here for a while." said Sakura. She looked at Gaara's expression and saw that it was one of slight worry. "You can leave tonight if you want then you'll avoid the storms I don't mind." She said to him.

He looked at her and realized that she had read his expression before he could hide it. "No Sakura I said I was staying for Christmas and I will I can send a message to Suna explaining that I will be staying for quite a while due to weather, Temari and Kankuro will understand. Beside's you'll be alone for quite a while longer since your friends who are on missions won't be able to return to Konoha because of the weather as well." He said crossing his arms.

"No I know that you want to get back to Suna I understand…" she began.

"Sakura, I am staying. Nothing you say is gonna get me to leave. I made the journey here intending to stay for Christmas and I am going to even if I have to stay in a hotel afterwards. I really don't care." He scowled.

"You don't have to stay in a hotel you can stay here as long as you need to." She stood up. "I'm really tired I'm going to go to bed Merry Christmas Gaara." She said smiling as she stood up.

He looked at her and stood up as well. His eyes were still serious as he looked at her. "Goodnight Sakura, Merry Christmas." He watched her go and walked down the hall into her guest room. _"Looks like I'm gonna be here for a long time better get used to it."_ He glanced over the room and noticed an old picture on the wall. It was a picture of Sakura as a baby in the arms of her mother. _"Wow she really was born with pink hair." _He looked at the smiling baby Sakura waving her tiny fist and giggling at the camera, her beautiful green eyes staring and her bubblegum hair reaching her ears. _"She still has that habit of waving her fist and keeping her hair short." _He shook his head and crawled into the bed.

Sakura sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. Outside her window the snow fell gracefully on the ground and drifted like tiny crystals through the air. _"It's so pretty outside tonight." _She watched the snow for a while and then crawled into the bed.

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><p>End of Chapter 3!<p>

How did you like this one? Better? Worse? Please comment!


	4. Chapter 4

Saki-"It's me again this time I brought Itachi with me!"

Itachi-"She should pay me to do this."

Saki-"Hahaha! You are funny Itachi! Now come on."

Itachi- *sigh* "Saki doesn't own Naruto or any products associated with it. Can I go?"

Saki-"Yup see ya later!"

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Sakura woke up early. She stretched and smiled as she looked out the window and saw her neighbors exchanging presents. Suddenly her smile disappeared as realization hit her. "Oh my gosh! It's Christmas and I have no presents for Gaara or Tsunade-sama! I forgot about them! I got the others presents and sent them to them when they left on their missions but I didn't plan for Gaara!" She shot out of bed grabbed a long sleeve shirt and pants and quietly opened the door to her room. She snuck down the hall glancing into Gaara's room to make sure he was asleep before grabbing her boots, coat and scarf and running out the door. She sprinted down the road into a sake shop buying a nice bottle of sake for Tsunade-sama. She called thanks to the owner and raced down the road to a small shop that had cards and wrapping paper. She picked out a green paper and a card for Tsunade-sama before racing to find Gaara a present. She stopped in a shop and got him a snow globe so he could have snow in Suna, and then walked exhausted to another store. "I don't know what else to get him. Whatever it is it needs to be special." She said to herself.

"Sakura!" called a shopkeeper that she knew.

"Hi Aiko!" she called back.

"Forget to buy someone a present?" She said to her.

"Yeah I wasn't planning on having anyone here besides Tsunade-sama and I had already given my friends their presents." She said.

"Maybe I can help who do you need a present for?" Aiko said to her.

"My friend from Suna, he's staying here for the holidays." She said to her smiling as they walked into her store.

"Suna you say? He's probably not used to this weather. Does he have clothes that are suited to this climate?" Aiko said to Sakura.

"Yeah he's been here before. I didn't know he was coming until he got here last night. I have to say I was rather surprised he wasn't shivering from the cold but he seemed ok in it." She said following Aiko to the back of the store.

"Well what exactly did you have in mind for a present?" she asked.

"That's the problem Aiko; I have no idea what to get him." She admitted sitting down in a chair near the stove.

"Hmmm what's he like?" she asked.

"Well he's tall and has red hair; he's also quiet and proud." Sakura said trying to keep his identity a secret.

"Oh ok well he's from Suna right? So why not get him something that only comes from Konoha?" She smiled and held up something for Sakura to see.

"Oh Aiko! It's so pretty! I wish I would have thought of that! It will most definitely suit him!" she gushed over the object in Aiko's hand and hugged her happily. "You always have the things I need Aiko! Thank you so much! Merry Christmas!" Sakura smiled waved to her and raced down the road leaving behind a laughing Aiko.

Sakura raced up the steps to her house and ran down the hall into her room. She shut the door and quickly hid the bags in her closet.

"Sakura?" Gaara said walking into the kitchen. She sat at the table cheerily smiling but panting a little.

"Oh…Hi…Gaara!" She puffed trying to steady her heart and breath.

"Are you ok? You seem out of breath." He said looking at her confused.

"Huh oh I just ran to the store to say Merry Christmas to my friend." She said smiling.

"Oh ok." He said sitting down next to her at the table. _"She's lying. I can tell." _He thought. "So what do you want to do today? It is Christmas after all."

She smiled. "You are the guest what would you like to do today?" she smiled and stood up to get him a rice ball for breakfast.

"I don't know what you do for Christmas or in the winter when it's snowing. In Suna I never really participated." He said to her.

"Hmmm we can go ice skating. Or we could visit Kakashi-sensei, Oh and Lady Tsunade is having a party tonight. It's not much but it's really fun and we don't have to stay very long. After Lady Tsunade has had a few drinks you need to leave quickly or things get ugly." She laughed a little and handed him his breakfast.

"That sounds good." He said and bit into his rice ball. She smiled and ate hers too.

"Gaara you may want to bring your gloves it's colder today than it was yesterday." Sakura said pulling on her own black gloves.

"Thanks for the warning." Gaara said and put his on as well. They opened the door and stepped out into the snow covered street.

"So ice skating first?" Sakura asked trudging along in the snow.

"Sure I've never been ice skating but I have been sand skating which is probably exactly like it." He followed Sakura into the village and looked around at the cheery scene. _"I like Konoha in the winter it's not that bad." _He thought. Sakura led him to the Konoha Bridge and they sat down on a bench to put on their skates. Sakura tied her laces and stood up in the snow. Gaara watched as she gracefully stepped onto the frozen river and began to glide across its surface. She seemed light as a feather as she motioned for him to join her. He stood up and glided across the ice to her.

"You're a natural Gaara!" Sakura said watching him. He wasn't smiling but he seemed very confident on the ice and stopped when he got close to her. She smiled again and began to skate around the river. "It seems like such an easy thing to do I put chakra in my feet and I always seem to keep my balance on any sort of water frozen or not." She giggled. "But then again I have been skating since I was little. My mom used to bring me here to skate on the ice in the winter. I used to fall over and always ask how she stayed up. She told me that with practice I could skate just like her. I eventually learned how and now it's second nature to me." Sakura blushed a little. "I guess I'm just surprised you caught on so fast." She admitted. Gaara smiled a little and skated towards her.

"I'm a fast learner." He said and they began to skate down the river again. _"She looks cute when she blushes." _He thought absentmindedly. They chatted and skated for a while until Sakura hit an uneven spot of ice. She wasn't paying attention and began to fall. Gaara quickly grabbed hold of her and stopped her fall. He put her upright and let go of her before he could blush at her touch. She however blushed heavily.

"Thanks Gaara I should be more careful." She said blushing a little more.

"No problem." He said and continued to skate with her.

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><p>End of Chapter 4!<p>

Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Saki-"Guess who I found today!"

Sai-"Me, unfortunately."

Saki- "Oh come on I'm not that bad!"

Sai-"Whatever Saki."

Saki-"Say the lines before I hurt you!"

Sai- "Saki doesn't own Naruto or anything associated with it."

Saki-"On to the story!"

Chapter 5

Sakura and Gaara untied their skates and walked back into town. "Let's get some lunch then we can go to Tsunade-sama's party." Sakura said to him.

"Ok what would you suggest to eat here?" He asked her.

"We can get some great barbeque down at a restaurant down the road." She said hugging her arms close to her. Gaara watched her movements and saw her shiver.

"Yeah that would be a good idea." Gaara said wanting to get her out of the cold air.

Sakura smiled and they walked down the road to the restaurant. Gaara followed her into the warm air and they sat at a table. "What do you want to get?" She asked him.

"Soup would be good." Gaara said to her. She nodded and told the waitress.

"So Gaara, is Konoha in the winter impressing you?" She said smiling at him.

"So far, yes. It's rather cold here and the snow is a hassle but it's nice and the scenery is pretty." He replied.

"Glad you like it. I don't like the snow myself but I must admit it looks pretty and adds to the scenery." She didn't add that she was happy that she could share it with him but she wanted to. _"You should say it you know you want to!" _chimed in Inner. Sakura quickly shut her out. "Just a fair warning Tsunade-sama is very tough to deal with on Christmas, She's normally already partially drunk by the time the real party starts. Oh and she tries to get everyone to dance with each other. This year she's decided to have it at a dance club just for this purpose." Sakura said to him. He nodded.

"Thanks for the warning." Gaara said and he meant it. _"She scares me at the best of times I don't want to see her when she gets really drunk." _He thought.

The soup arrived for the two of them and they began to eat. "This is really good." said Sakura.

"Yeah it is I'm not normally big on soup but I'm welcome to it when it's cold out." He said.

"When I was on a mission with Naruto and Kakashi we got stuck in a small snowstorm. Naruto wanted to go on but Kakashi said we had to wait. None of us, except for maybe Naruto, were dressed for the snow. I was so cold my teeth chattered to the point that I thought they would break. Naruto wanted to "keep me warm" but of course that wasn't gonna happen. Kakashi helped us make a small shelter of snow and we stayed there. We made a small fire and had soup. It warmed me up right away and I felt safer and stronger. It sounds so silly that soup could do that but it did!" Sakura laughed. She blushed for a quick moment and thought that Gaara didn't see it. He did.

_"There she goes again blushing. Why does she blush so much around me?" _Gaara pondered in his head. "No I believe you soup is powerful. In Suna when someone gets hurt they are given soup to help them recover." He said trying to make her feel less embarrassed.

"We give sick people soup too." She said.

"It's powerful stuff." Gaara said putting more soup into his mouth.

Sakura laughed. "You're right about that." Sakura saw him smile and couldn't help but notice that his mouth was perfect when he smiled. His eyes only briefly flickered happiness but she saw it and it made them look beautiful to her. The dark circles around his eyes offset the color perfectly and made them look even more gorgeous. Gaara looked at her with a small questioning glance. Sakura looked at her soup realizing she had been staring.

_"She was staring at me. Why does she stare but then look away as if she was embarrassed about it? She's been acting very different around me then she used to. I wonder why the sudden change in her behavior towards me." _He pondered over this as the two ate the rest of their lunch in silence. When they finished Sakura pulled out her wallet and put money on the table. "No Sakura let me pay." Gaara said putting money on the table and handing hers back to her.

"Oh no really Gaara you're my guest I'll pay." She said putting her money back on the table.

"Sakura, no. I am paying if you feel bad about it you can pay for supper." He put the money in her hand and motioned for her to come with him. She thanked him and slipped into her coat and scarf before following him into the street. "So where is this dance club?" He asked having a sudden urge to grab her hand which was swinging close to his.

"This way." Sakura said pointing down the street. She began walking but stopped at a shop and picked up a package. "I brought it to her to wrap before we went skating. I can't wrap presents very well." Sakura said.

Gaara nodded and they continued to walk down the road until they got to the club. Music came from inside and Sakura took an unsteady breath before turning to Gaara.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to you know." Sakura said to him.

Gaara knew that she didn't want to go in there alone and was only trying to be nice to him by saying he didn't need to come. "No I want to come with you." Gaara said to her. He pulled open the door and they stepped inside.

"Sakura! Merry Christmas!" called Tsunade from across the room.

"Merry Christmas Tsunade-sama!" Sakura called back.

"Oh you brought a guest!" Tsunade said beaming at them as she walked over. "Gaara of Suna! Why my dear Kazekage what brings you here at this time of year?" She said smiling devilishly.

Gaara fought the urge to roll his eyes. _"She thinks we're a couple. Great Tsunade." _"I came to visit some old friends but only Sakura was here." He said calmly.

_"Nice save Gaara!" _thought Sakura. _"Tsunade-sama loves to play matchmaker. She'll try to get us together for the entire night." _"I just happened to see him at the Konoha Bridge this morning and told him he could come too. I hope you don't mind Tsunade-sama." Said Sakura innocently.

"No, no not at all! It's a privilege to have my dear friend the Kazekage in Konoha for Christmas!" She smiled and pulled Sakura through the crowd to a table and sat down. "Kakashi! Your little Cherry Blossom's here!" Tsunade called to him.

Sakura blushed and hung her head. "Tsunade-sama I'm not his little Cherry Blossom." She said calmly to her. She didn't hear but bounded away from them to bother someone else.

"Ah Sakura, Gaara, Merry Christmas!" He said smiling with his eyes to her.

"Merry Christmas Kakashi-sensei!" she said smiling back to him.

"I have word from Jiraya and the others they plan to get back to Konoha tonight." Kakashi said to her.

"Great! I hoped they could be back for Christmas." She said smiling to him.

"Kakashi come here!" Shouted Tsunade from across the room.

"It seems I am needed somewhere else. Enjoy the party!" Kakashi said to her. And handed her a gift.

"Oh thank you Kakashi-sensei! Did you get my gift?" She said to him before he left.

"Yes thank you so much!" He smiled and waved goodbye before walking over to Tsunade.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this Gaara." Sakura said apologetically.

"I don't mind I actually think it's kind of funny." He said to her.

She smiled and looked at the gift. "Should I open it?" she said to him.

"Sure how bad could it be?" He said.

"Last year he gave me a copy on one of his books. I have no idea how he reads those!" She shuddered. "Oh well he is my sensei." She shrugged and began to open the gift.

"Well it's not that bad. I think. What exactly is it?" Gaara asked her.

Sakura didn't answer she just stared at it.

"Sakura? Are you ok?" He watched as she began to shake. He didn't know what was wrong with her and he suddenly became very alarmed. "Sakura?" He reached across to shake her but he then heard a high pitched giggle escape her mouth. _"She's laughing?" _

End of Chapter 5

Hope you liked it! Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

Saki-"Get off of me Zetsu!"

Zetsu-"But you smell good **enough to eat.**

Saki-"You can't eat me you plant! I'm your friend!"

Zetsu-"But you would **taste so good.**

Saki-"That somewhat disturbs me."

Zetsu-"If I say the lines can I **eat you?**

Saki-"No."

Zetsu-"Fine. Saki doesn't own any Naruto or any products associated with it. **If you say she does we will eat you."**

Saki-"Thank you Zetsu now onto the story!"

Chapter 6

"Sakura are you laughing?" Gaara said slowly.

"Y-yes *giggle* Kakashi-sensei gave me a ribbon with the words "I hit like a girl" on it." She giggled some more.

"Oh that's what it is." He said relaxing. _"Weird." _He thought.

"As you have probably seen I hit Naruto all of the time. Well I swore one time that if he ever annoyed me to the point where I pulled the ribbon out of my hair he would get hit so hard his nose would break and I would tie a ribbon around his neck and not let him take it off. It was stupid and I was mad but apparently Kakashi remembered." She laughed a little and put the ribbon into her pocket.

Gaara chuckled. "That would be so funny to see Naruto wearing that." He smiled at her and she returned it. "Lady Tsunade seems to be in good spirits tonight." He gestured to Tsunade who was laughing with Asuma and Kurenai a few tables over.

"Yeah that's a good thing things get ugly when she's mad." Sakura said shivering at the thought. Just then Tsunade stood up and grabbed a microphone from the stage in the front of the room. "Oh my gosh she's going to make a speech." Sakura said hanging her head and turning away.

"Is that a bad thing?" Gaara asked her.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it normally means she gets the DJ to start playing music and then she turns into Mrs. Matchmaker. She tries to get everyone to dance with someone. Last year I got stuck with Naruto, Lee, and Shino who basically just stood there." She shook her head. "Gaara be prepared."

He nodded and watched Tsunade. _"She means that Tsunade's gonna get us to dance." _He sighed a little and listened to her ramble on about the lovely party and presents.

"And now, DJ will you do the honors?" She turned to the DJ and he nodded flipping on a track. "It's time to dance!" She smiled and got off the stage walking right over to Sakura and Gaara. "Ah Gaara! Sakura! You two should go dance!"

"Oh Tsunade-sama I don't really dance…" Sakura tried to protest but Tsunade grabbed her arm.

"Nonsense! My prize pupil will not just sit there like a lump for the entire party! This year you will dance and you will like it!" She smiled and shoved her onto the dance floor. "Gaara! Sakura needs a dance partner and you seem to need one too! Come on don't be shy! I intend to have everyone dancing by the end of the night! This will be so much fun!" She shoved Gaara, none too gently, next to Sakura and smiled at the two innocently before walking away.

"I told you she'd try to play matchmaker!" Sakura said to him crossing her arms.

"Well not listening to her tonight may prove dangerous she seems to be a little drunk and that will no doubt get worse as the afternoon goes on. We may as well dance or be pummeled and forced to dance by her." He said scowling a little.

"We don't have to stay long. I don't plan on staying for more than two hours if that." Sakura shuddered. "She scares me sometimes."

Gaara nodded as the music came on. It was a fast song and he was grateful. Fast songs meant that at least for now he didn't have to dance holding her. "That's our cue."

Sakura began to sway and eventually began to copy the other dancer's movements. The lights were dimmed and colored lights came on. Gaara copied Sakura and stiffly danced. _"Me dancing at a party with Sakura. Never in a million years would I have ever thought this could happen." _He shook his head a little and continued to dance. The song ended and another started this one was familiar to Gaara and he felt a little more comfortable shuffling on the dance floor.

Sakura tried hard not to blush and run out the door of the club. _"I'm dancing with Gaara! It seems impossible but here I am and it's happening!" _She fought off this thought a blush starting to form on her face. The two shuffled along to the fast music for another four songs until a slow song came on. Sakura froze and looked at the other dancers pairing off and swaying slowly. _"Oh god oh god oh god!" _Sakura panicked in her head looking at Gaara who had seemed to have frozen as well but was quickly recovering due to an angry looking Tsunade staring at them. He grabbed her hand and began to sway quietly to the music.

"I'm sorry but Lady Tsunade looked like she was ready to come over here and force us together or rip our heads off. I couldn't really tell but she looked ready to kill." Gaara whispered to Sakura turning in a slow circle. He had a hand on her back and one on her hand and was trying to move away from Tsunade's view.

"I-its ok I think she was ready to kill. Good thinking Gaara." Sakura smiled and put her hand on his back as well. She blushed a little and looked down as they moved in a circle to the slow song.

Gaara looked at her and noticed how unbelievably pretty she was in the low light. Her pink hair was vibrant in the low light and her blushing face was hidden in shadow but somehow it made Gaara want to lift it up to see it better. He didn't and continued to move in their slow routine circle. The song was graciously short and after it ended they both pulled away and walked off the dance floor.

"Gaara do you want to go? We've been here for like an hour and a half." Sakura said brushing her hair away from her face.

"Sure we have to say goodbye to Lady Tsunade and then try to escape before she realizes we've gone." He walked over to Tsunade and said to her. "Let me handle this." She nodded and he continued. "Lady Tsunade?"

She stopped her chatter and looked at him. "Ah Gaara! Yes what is it?"

Gaara silently thanked his luck that she was intoxicated again and made his speech quick. "Thank you so much Lady Tsunade we really enjoyed your party but it's getting rather late and Sakura needs to get home. Again thank you so much. Have a great Christmas!" He smiled and grabbed Sakura's arm dragging her quickly out of Tsunade's line of vision. Gaara glanced at Tsunade's stunned face realizing what he had just said and quickly shut the door to the club closing out the warmth and leaving them in the chilly afternoon air.

"Wow…" Sakura murmured standing still as if still processing what they had just done. "We just escaped Tsunade-sama's Christmas Party! That is a feat which has only ever been accomplished by Kakashi-sensei!" She smiled. "You talked so fast to her she didn't have time to realize what you had said!" She gushed over his actions.

"It was nothing Sakura. If you talk quickly to someone who's drunk they don't realize what you've said until after you're gone." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Sakura blushed a little realizing how stupid she must have sounded blabbering about how wonderful he was at talking to Tsunade-sama. _"Ugh Sakura! Why do you have to be so stupid!" _She silently scolded herself and walked quietly beside Gaara. They passed through the town and turned onto her street before either one spoke a word. "Kakashi-sensei said that Naruto and the others will be back tonight. No doubt that means that I will be having a Christmas party of my own at my house." She sighed. "I'll start dinner, could you be so kind as to make some snacks?" She looked at him apologetically as she opened the door.

"Sure just tell me what you want me to make." He smiled as he undid his scarf and jacket.

She returned his smile and walked into the kitchen. "We can put out some chips and kebabs for snacks to start. I'll make sushi and barbeque. The stuff for the kebabs are in the cupboard over there. Again Gaara I'm sorry to make you do this I wouldn't have you do it if I would have known they would be back so soon." She apologized to him.

He waved her off. "Sakura, please. Stop apologizing I'm happy to help you."

End of chapter 6! :D

Review please!


	7. Chapter 7

Saki-"Hey I'm back!"

Tobi-"Yay! Tobi's friend is back!"

Saki-"Yes Tobi I'm here and guess what?"

Tobi-"What Saki-chan?"

Saki-"I have a surprise for you!"

Tobi-"Yay! Tobi loves surprises!"

Saki-"If you say what I want you to say you'll get a lollipop!"

Tobi-"Tobi loves lollipops! Saki-chan doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!"

Saki-"Here you go Tobi!"

Tobi-"Yay!"

Chapter 7

"Sakura do you want me to put the kebabs in the living room?" Gaara asked holding a tray full of food.

"Yes please Gaara. I'll be in there in a minute once I finish with the barbeque." She walked into the room holding a huge plate laden with food. Gaara had set down his and rushed over to help. "I've got it Gaara! There's another in the kitchen that we can leave in there."

"This seems like a lot of food. How many people are going to be here?" Gaara asked looking at the huge platter.

"Oh only about eleven, not including us, and I have a feeling Neji and Shino aren't going to stay long they hate large crowds." She said walking back into the kitchen.

"But still this is a huge amount of food." He said as he heard a crash from the kitchen. "Are you alright Sakura?" He called walking swiftly over to the door.

"I'm fine just dropped a bowl. Well I had to take into account that Chouji's going to be here and he can eat a whole platter by himself." She mumbled as she bent down to pick up the bowl's spilled contents.

"Here Sakura I'll get it." Gaara bent down and placed the spilled items into the bowl. Sakura blushed and stood up as he handed her the bowl. It was very quiet all of a sudden and the two froze and stared at each other. Only a few seconds passed but to each of them it felt like hours. _"Her eyes are so pretty. Why haven't I ever noticed that?" _Gaara thought.

_"His eyes seem so sad. They are so lonely. I've never seen eyes like that before." _Sakura thought. She blushed and looked away breaking the gaze and awkward silence. Gaara also turned away to hide his own slight blush. "You should go get ready I'll finish with this." Sakura said washing the dishes in the sink. Gaara nodded and walked out of the kitchen. _"I wonder why his eyes were so sad. They looked so lonely and cold but somehow hopeful." _She thought. _"AWWW! Sakura's got a crush on Gaara!" _Inner chimed in. _"Shut up!" _Sakura mumbled and shut her out. She heard the shower running and figured Gaara had gone to clean up. _"I think I shall go get cleaned up myself." _She looked out the window as the snow swirled outside. She watched as the snowflakes fell as she finished up the dishes. She glanced at the clock and seeing that it was only four, walked out of the kitchen. She turned the corner and hit something hard and fleshy. She stepped back and looked up at a wet haired Gaara. He was wearing only a towel around his waist and his bare chest was showing. With a sudden horror Sakura realized that she had just run into him. "G-Gaara I-I'm so sorry!" she stuttered to him.

"Its fine Sakura I wasn't paying attention." She blushed and hurried past him into her bedroom.

_"Oh my god I can't believe I just did that! Oh Kami help me!" _she thought. _"His chest was so masculine! Did you get a look at that six pack?" _Inner crooned. _"You're not helping!"_ Sakura growled back once again tuning her out. She controlled her rapid breathing and began to undress for her shower. _"I'll take a nice hot shower in my bathroom and clean up for our guests." _She thought stepping into her connected bathroom and silently thanking Kami that it was not outside of her room. The water warmed up quickly and Sakura smiled as she stepped into the relaxing heat. She quickly washed her hair and body and let the warm water run over her before bracing herself for the cold air outside of the shower. She jumped out and quickly wrapped herself in a towel shivering at the cold. She ran into her room and threw on a black skirt with pink leggings and a long sleeved red shirt before setting to the task of her unruly pink hair. After struggling with a style for a few minutes she gave up and just combed it down tying a red ribbon around it to hold it back. She glanced at the clock which said four thirty and walked out of her room and down into the kitchen. "Gaara is anyone here yet?" she called to him.

"No not yet but they should be here soon." He walked into the kitchen in a red zip up jacket with black pants and leaned against the doorframe. "I think we'll know when Naruto gets here. He'll probably not knock and just walk right in." Sakura laughed.

"That's Naruto for you!" She smiled at him and suddenly realized how silly she must look. She turned away and pretended to be busy arranging the food on the table.

"Why do you do that?" Gaara asked furrowing his brow and walking over to her.

"Do what?" She asked confused.

"Get all embarrassed and turn away whenever you smile at me." Gaara said moving a bowl of ramen off to the side so he could lean on the table.

"I don't know I didn't realize I did that." She turned away again. Moving another platter over to the table.

"You just did it again. Sakura you don't have to be embarrassed of your smile I like it. Really you don't have to do that." He turned her towards him by her shoulders and looked at her.

"I-I'm sorry I don't know why I do it I'm normally not this bad. Gosh look at me I'm just like Hinata!" She blushed again and picked up a bowl of chips carrying it quickly into the living room.

Gaara chuckled. _"She's so embarrassed around me I have no idea why. She can't like me I mean we're just friends. Maybe she's just shy because I'm a guy and she's alone with me girls are weird about that. Though I must admit she's really cute when she blushes like that." _He stood still and watched as she walked back into the kitchen. They both stopped and looked at each other and Gaara walked closer to her. Just then they heard the door open and Sakura went to go see who it was.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed picking her off the ground in a bear hug.

"Naruto! You're back! I've missed you!" She giggled as he put her down.

"Merry Christmas Sakura-chan!" He smiled a big cheesy Naruto grin and handed her a box wrapped in red paper.

"Oh Naruto you shouldn't have!" She smiled at him and opened it. She giggled and held up a pretty little bracelet with a little pink flower charm dangling off of it. "Thank you so much Naruto it's so pretty!" she gave him a quick hug and pulled him over to Gaara. "Naruto, Gaara arrived here yesterday he's going to be here for a while."

Gaara smiled at Naruto and grasped his arm in greeting. "Gaara! Great to see you! I just saw Temari and Kankuro briefly yesterday. How long are you staying in Konoha?"

"A while these storms are delaying my return to Suna." He said and smiled at Naruto.

"Great! I can give you another tour of Konoha while you are here." Naruto said smiling.

"Naruto there's ramen in the kitchen. My homemade recipe." Sakura called from the kitchen.

"Great to see you again Gaara!" Naruto said and rushed off at the mention of Sakura's ramen. Gaara chuckled and watched him leave.

"Here Naruto I thought you might be hungry." Sakura smiled and held out a bowl to him.

"Thank you so much Sakura-chan! You're the best!" He took it and started to eat it voraciously. Sakura laughed and went to go get the door from where she had heard a knock.

"Sakura-san!" Lee flung through the door and Sakura expertly moved aside to avoid his hug.

"Hi Lee! Merry Christmas!" She smiled sweetly to him. She wasn't so quick to dodge this time and got caught up in Lee's awkward embrace. He smiled happily and was pushed away by Tenten as she walked in.

"Hey Sakura! Sorry we weren't here yesterday. We got caught up in some stuff." Tenten said hugging her. Neji nodded to her and followed her in.

"There's food in the kitchen and the living room." Sakura said following them to the kitchen.

"Thank you so much Sakura-san!" Lee said smiling at her as he picked up a bowl of ramen.

"Yeah thanks Sakura! The food looks lovely." Tenten agreed smiling to her.

"It's no problem guys I'm just glad you're all back ok." She smiled and went to go sit down next to Gaara who had assumed a position on the couch. Neji stood in the corner as usual and Sakura had just turned on the TV when the doorbell rang. She stood up but was pushed back down by Gaara.

"I'll get it Sakura." He walked out of the room leaving Sakura sitting on the couch.

"Sakura-chan can we watch "A Christmas Story?" Naruto asked settling in next to her.

"Sure Naruto. Is that ok with you guys?" Sakura asked as everyone walked into the room.

"Sure Sakura-san!" Lee said sitting on Sakura's other side.

"That's fine by me!" Tenten chimed in munching on some chicken while sitting on the other couch.

"Hey Sakura!" Chimed in a voice from behind her.

She turned around and saw Kiba, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji standing behind her. "Hey guys! Merry Christmas!" She said smiling at them.

"Merry Christmas forehead!" Ino said cheerfully plopping onto the other couch next to Tenten. Hinata sat next to her and smiled at Sakura.

"Gweat frood Sakura!" Choji said eating a hug plate of barbeque.

"Thank Gaara he helped as well." Sakura said smiling.

Naruto coughed a little and swallowed his ramen. _"Gaara helping her? Wow he's changed." _Naruto thought. He merely smiled. "Thanks Gaara."

Gaara nodded stiffly and sat on a chair in the corner spot. Once they were all settled and Shino and Neji had said "Goodbye and Merry Christmas." And left their presents for Sakura and left, they started the movie. Naruto put his arm casually behind Sakura and Lee scooted closer to her as the movie began. Sakura said that she was gonna go make some popcorn and quickly stood up causing Lee and Naruto to fall together and clunk heads.

"Ok Sakura-chan hurry back!" Naruto called rubbing his head and shoving Lee away.

Gaara watched her go and quietly slunk out of the room to help her. "Hey." He said quietly as he walked into the kitchen. She jumped and turned around to face Gaara.

"Oh Gaara you scared me!" She turned back to the microwave and put the popcorn in. "Sorry I left so suddenly but Naruto and Lee were making me claustrophobic." She sighed and leaned back on the counter.

"It's no problem they were being rather clingy. Are they always like that to you?" He asked leaning next to her to watch the movie from the kitchen while the popcorn popped.

She nodded. "It drives me insane they pull me in two directions sometimes."

"You can tell Naruto that there is only a little ramen left in the kitchen and to get it while it's there. Lee likes ramen too and I have a feeling that they both will want the last bite." He said still looking at the TV.

"Yeah but what will that do? They will just come back and sit there." She sighed. "I'm just going to be squished for the night no big deal."

"When they get up I'll sit there and act like I just went to get some food or something. Just make sure you go in there and sit down in the same spot between them that way it looks like you didn't mind sitting there and that I just happened to sit down after they got up to get the ramen." He shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Thanks Gaara!" Sakura said smiling as she took the popcorn out of the microwave and brought it into the living room leaving Gaara in the kitchen. She sat back down and settled into Naruto's arm and let Lee lean on her before saying quietly. "There's only a little ramen left in the kitchen I was wondering if you guys wanted it." Lee and Naruto shot up and gave each other death glares before shouting. "Mine!" and running out of the room. Gaara casually walked in as everyone turned to see Lee and Naruto leave.

"What's up with those two?" He asked as if he had no idea what was going on.

"Oh they're just competing for food." Tenten said shrugging and turning back to the movie.

Gaara shrugged and sat down next to Sakura holding his plate full of food. "See no problem." He said in a whisper.

"Thanks Gaara!" Sakura whispered back pulling her feet up so that nobody could sit on her other side. She grabbed a blanket and snuggled under it while Naruto and Lee came back into the room.

"Hey we were sitting next to Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined.

"Yeah!" Lee said to Gaara.

He shrugged. "You guys got up so I sat here there is another chair you know." He said scowling a little as they frowned and sat on the other chairs. Sakura suppressed a giggle and turned back to the movie. Naruto kept glancing at Sakura as did Lee eventually Naruto got up and sat in front of Sakura on the ground with his head resting on her legs. Lee stood up and sat on the edge of the couch next to Sakura. She sighed and stood up.

"I'll just sit on the floor." She sat on the floor next to Naruto and let Lee sit on her other side. Lee leaned on her and Naruto slid his arm around her shoulders she just sighed and continued to watch the movie. Gaara didn't move but glanced at Sakura sandwiched between Lee and Naruto.

_"Why do those guys hang on her every minute? They practically suffocate her!"_ He frowned and turned back to the movie. Choji and Shikamaru stood up and nodded to everyone thanking Sakura for the party before leaving. Hinata soon followed. Ino still sat on the couch with Tenten and Kiba still lounged on the recliner. Outside the wind howled and Kiba howled along with it.

"Kiba! Quiet we can't hear the movie!" Ino whined throwing a pillow at him. He snickered and threw it back at her.

"I can't help it it's such a nice sound." He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Sakura would you mind if I put the dog out? I just don't want him slobbering on the furniture." She wrinkled her nose up at Kiba. He stuck out his tongue at her and she laughed.

"I don't like the sound of the wind during a snowstorm it gives me the creeps." Sakura said shaking and pulling the blanket up to her chest snuggling down into it.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan I'll protect you!" Naruto said squeezing her shoulders.

"Yeah it's ok Sakura-san you're safe here!" Lee said looking at her with big eyes.

"Thanks guys. Hey I don't want you guys leaving in this weather! It's horrible outside! You guys can spend the night here!" She smiled at Naruto's face along with Lee's.

"Really Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried smiling.

"Yeah Sakura I wouldn't want to intrude." Tenten said to her.

"It's no problem guys. I have extra blankets and pillows as well as sleeping bags and pj's if you guys want them. We can have one big sleepover!" She smiled at them all. Lee and Naruto smiled and gave each other high fives and Kiba grinned a goofy grin.

"Thanks Sakura! I don't even know if I could find my way home tonight the snow's coming down so hard that I think even my sense of smell would be messed up." Kiba said stretching on the recliner.

"Hey forehead, we could play beauty parlor later." Ino said smiling.

"Oh I love playing that! I'm great with hair!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Yuck! I hope we don't have to play that! I want to play truth or dare!" Naruto chimed in.

"We can play that too Naruto." Sakura said giggling. "Let's go get changed and then we can set up the sleeping area we can move the couches back to have more room." Sakura said.

"I'll get a fire started so we get some more heat in here." Kiba said as he stood up.

"Great idea Kiba come on Ino, Tenten, I have some clothes that you guys can wear." She stood up and the girls left the room.

End of chapter 7! :D

Review please!


	8. Chapter 8

Saki-"I'm back again! Sorry I was gone so long I caught the flu. L"

Drunk Tsunade-"Oh poor you."

Saki-"T_T"

Drunk Tsunade-"Saki doesn't *hic* own any *hic* Naruto or Naruto stuff. But she does own some *hic* good sake.

Saki-"I DO NOT OWN SAKE THAT STUFF WAS YOURS! Sorry about her guys hehe umm moving on…T_T"

Chapter 8

"Naruto I wouldn't go spy on her if I was you. She would either punch your face in or throw you out in the snow, or both." Gaara said as the blonde stood up to sneak off.

"Awww Gaara you're no fun." He pouted and sat back down.

"I got the fire started now where are the girls? How long does it take to get changed?" Kiba sat back and crossed his arms.

"Oh come on Kiba it wasn't that long." Ino said walking into the room in a purple shirt and black shorts.

"You boys are so impatient." Tenten said waving her finger at them reproachfully. She wore loose white pants and her usual white tank top.

Sakura came in last wearing a pink top like Tenten's but with red cherries in the corner. She had on a pair of red pants and pink socks on. Naruto smiled and patted the spot next to him on the rug. "Oh I almost forgot! I'll go grab the blankets and pillows." Sakura said turning around.

"I'll help." Gaara said casually following her out of the room.

"Sakura is sleeping next to me tonight so everyone else find your own spot!" Naruto called. Sakura heard a loud "Ooof!" and the Lee's laughter. She smiled and went to go find the blankets.

"Can I be of any help?" Gaara asked following her into her room. He looked around at the light pink walls with white cherry blossom trees on them and to the other pink and red furnishings that the room had. She turned around and smiled.

"Sure! Can you hold onto these?" She handed him some pillows and grabbed some blankets off of a shelf in her closet. He took the pillows into the living room and dumped them on Naruto before going to help Sakura bring in the blankets.

"Here let me." He took the blankets from her and tossed them onto Naruto as well.

"Hey!" He called from under the pile. Sakura laughed a little and went to go grab some sleeping bags as well. Gaara followed. They walked down the hall and searched for some sleeping bags and only found three.

"I guess some of us won't have any sleeping bags. Oh well we have extra blankets." She grabbed one of the bags and Gaara grabbed the other two. Sakura smiled at him. _"Gosh He's being really helpful lately. He didn't used to be like this. It's a good change."_ She followed him out into the hall and tried to fit past him ending up in them both falling over onto the floor. Sakura blushed and Gaara stood up quickly helping her up as well. "I'm sorry Gaara." She stuttered looking away.

"Sakura I told you not to do that." He growled lightly pulling her head back to look at him. "I don't mind." He smiled gently at her and she blushed again. She looked up at the ceiling and blushed even more shifting her gaze to the ground. Gaara looked up and saw a sprig of mistletoe hanging in the door frame. "Oh." He whispered. He tilted her head up and looked at her blushing face. _"Gaara you're not actually gonna follow that stupid tradition! But oh Kami she's cute when she blushes!" _He moved his face close to hers and pecked her lightly on the cheek before hurrying down the hall. She stood there like a statue completely frozen.

_"Hellooo Earth to Sakura! Gaara just kissed you**!"** _Inner screamed at her. _"Oh Kami Gaara kissed me on the cheek!" _she smiled and her heart did a little leap. She blushed more ferociously and felt as though her face was on fire. She tried to turn around and go down the hallway to walk it off and get some more blankets but she ended up tripping on a sleeping bag. "AGHHH!" She screamed and tried to stop her fall resulting in her hitting her head on a door. "Owwwww!" She moaned as she lay on the floor.

"SAKURA-CHAN! ARE YOU OK?" Naruto and Lee screamed hurtling through the hallway to see Sakura picking herself off the floor rubbing her head.

"Sakura-san! What happened?" Lee said helping her up.

"Owww." She groaned rubbing her head again. "I'm fine I just tripped on that stupid sleeping bag.

"Come on Sakura-chan lets go get you some ice for your head." Naruto began putting his arm around her shoulders. She shrugged him off.

"I'm fine Naruto." She quickly raised a hand full of green chakra and numbed the pain.

"Oh. I forgot you could do that." Naruto said sheepishly rubbing his head.

"Sakura-san we'll carry the stuff to the living room you go on ahead." Lee said gathering up some blankets.

"Thanks guys!" Sakura said smiling at them and walking to the living room.

"What was all that racket?" Kiba said as Sakura came into the room.

"Nothing I just tripped." She said smiling at them as she sat on her sleeping bag.

"Jeez you're so klutzy forehead." Ino said playfully.

"Come on guys let's play beauty parlor!" Tenten squealed happily holding up a hairbrush and lipstick.

"Uhhh I'd rather not." Kiba said looking at the lipstick as if it was poisonous.

"Ok you boys can be the judges we can model some hairstyles and makeup and you can rate it one to ten." Tenten said to Kiba.

"Sure as long as I don't have to participate in the makeover thing I'm in." Naruto said sitting down next to Sakura.

"Yeah me too!" agreed Lee sitting on her other side.

"Ok Ino, Tenten, we can go into my room and get all beautified while you boys watch something on TV or whatever. Then you can judge us!" Sakura said pulling on Ino's hand. She really wanted to get out of there. Gaara was sitting next to Kiba trying to avoid eye contact with her and she didn't want to make him embarrassed. _"After all he is gonna be here for like a month." _She thought as she turned around and pulled Ino and Tenten out of the room.

"I totally call doing Sakura's hair first!" Tenten piped up happily once they were seated on Sakura's bed.

"Ok I'll do her makeup!" Ino said holding up some eye shadow.

"What style should I do?" Tenten asked Ino combing through Sakura's hair.

"Hmmm I don't know. Try some type of up-do or bun." Ino said holding up different shades of eye shadow before settling on a light pink.

Tenten giggled and began to pull up Sakura's hair. "Your hair is so soft Sakura! How do you get it this soft?" Tenten gushed as she began to twist it carefully.

"Hikari's Strawberry Shampoo. It's my favorite kind I use it all of the time." She smiled and closed her eyes as Ino put on the eye shadow. She began to giggle and Ino snorted.

"What's so funny forehead?" She said starting on her other eye.

"This reminds me of when we were kids and we used to play dress up and makeover." She giggled again as Ino smiled.

"Yeah it was so much fun you used to always want to play it." Ino began to apply a thin layer of lip gloss to Sakura's lips and Tenten put two hair sticks in the back and stepped back to look at her.

"Oh Sakura! You look beautiful!" She gushed over her.

"Really?" She asked as she glanced in the mirror and gasped a little. Her hair was spiraled up behind her head and the two hair sticks had little red beads hanging off of the ends that seemed to accent the style. Her green eyes seemed brighter and fuller with the pink eye shadow and her lips had a slight shimmer that was elegant but plain. The style suited her perfectly, it was elegant enough for a party but plain enough that it wasn't overly flashy or would stand out too much.

"Ino it's your turn!" Tenten squealed breaking Sakura out of her admiration of herself. Ino sat on the bed and Tenten began on her hair. She ended up putting it in a ponytail with a small braid at the beginning. Sakura put on light purple eye shadow and a light pink lip stick. Ino loved the style and gushed over Sakura's makeup skills and Tenten's hair skills.

"You guys should open a salon!" She smiled at them as she began on Tenten's makeup. She put on a light green eye shadow and pink gloss for her lips. Sakura pulled Tenten's hair into her usual two buns but wrapped them in two braids at the base of each.

"Oh you look so pretty!" Ino squealed. Tenten giggled and looked at herself in the mirror.

"We look amazing!" Tenten agreed. "Come on let's go let the boys judge us!" She grabbed Sakura's hand and towed her out of the room.

"Oh boys are you ready to judge us?" Ino trilled from the kitchen.

"Yes!" Kiba, Lee and Naruto called in unison.

"I really wanna see how much more beautiful Sakura-chan looks!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Yeah me too!" Lee agreed.

"Come on already!" Kiba howled.

"Ok then." Ino walked in followed by Tenten dragging a blushing Sakura who was looking away.

"Wow! You guys look amazing!" Lee said looking at them with a smile. Kiba howled and grinned at them happily.

"I give Ino an eight, Tenten an eight and um the back of Sakura's head a seven." Kiba said grinning.

"Come on Sakura-chan turn around!" Naruto whined. Ino grabbed her shoulders and spun Sakura around pushing her onto a couch. She blushed even more and looked up.

"Woah! Sakura gets a ten!" Kiba said howling again. Naruto and Lee's noses began to bleed and they both fell over in a faint. Gaara, who had been sitting calmly on the couch, let his jaw slack open a little bit but quickly shut it as he noticed Sakura's blushing glance. Ino laughed at Naruto and Lee laying on the floor twitching a little.

"Wow Sakura you've brought the house down!" Ino said laughing. Sakura blushed and hid her face.

"I'm gonna go clean up." She muttered and ran out of the room. _"Gaara's jaw fell open at me! Am I really that pretty?" _she looked at herself in the mirror. _"You aren't pretty you're gorgeous! Of course Gaara's jaw fell open you were hot enough to knock out Naruto and Lee!" _Inner squealed to her. _"That's the first actually useful and non-perverted thing you've said all day." _Sakura thought to her. _"I'm telling you I can be useful!" _Inner retorted. _"Yeah yeah Ms. Useful I've got to get cleaned up and back to the party so bye!" _She quickly shut Inner out as she pulled her hair out of its twisted bun. She pulled it up into another loose bun and began to wipe off her makeup. _"Ino's gonna be mad but oh well." _She smiled and continued to wipe the eye shadow off.

End of Chapter 8!

REVIEW PLEASE!


	9. Chapter 9

Saki-"Hello everyone I'm back again.

Sasori-"Sorry everyone I had to steal my little Hope Blossom away for a while."

Saki-*blushes* "You didn't "steal" me away!"

Sasori-"I could just "steal" you away again…."

Saki-"Not now I'm busy writing!"

Sasori-*sighs* "Fine my little Hope Blossom doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products."

Saki-"Now for the story!"

Chapter 9

"Sakura-chan come on!" Ino whined from the other room.

"I'm coming hold on!" Sakura yelled back to him. She grabbed her pillow and walked into the living room.

"Awww Sakura! Why'd you have to take your makeup off?" Ino cried looking at her.

"It was uncomfortable and I didn't want to knock out Lee and Naruto again." She shrugged and sat down on her sleeping bag.

"I agree with Sakura I'm gonna go take my makeup off too." Tenten stood up and walked down the hall to Sakura's bathroom.

"I might as well go with her." Ino said flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Sakura when do you think they're gonna wake up?" Kiba said poking Naruto in the shoulder.

"Not for a while." She said glancing at Lee who was drooling a little.

"Aww man I really wanted to play truth or dare with them!" Kiba whined to her.

"I think I know how to get them up sooner." She said smiling a little. "If you say…" Sakura leaned over and whispered the rest in Kiba's ear. Kiba howled with laughter and shook his head in agreement. Sakura laid down on the floor with her arms a little askew. Gaara looked at Sakura and stood up walking over to sit near Kiba.

"What's so funny?" He said puzzled as to why Sakura was laying on the floor in that odd angle.

"Wait and see."Kiba said grinning devilishly. He stood up and shouted. "OH MY GOSH SAKURA!" Naruto's eyes shot open as did Lee's and they both jumped up ready to fight off any intruders and seeing Sakura on the floor let out gargled shouts of horror.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto bent down and was about to start giving her CPR when she began to laugh and Naruto backed off. "Sakura you're ok?" He heard laughter coming from Kiba and turned to give Kiba a death glare as the boy howled in laughter completely doubled over. "That was not funny Kiba!" Sakura laughed as well and sat up and smiling at Naruto. Gaara snickered as well and watched the scene unfold.

"They sure got you Naruto." He smirked and caught Sakura watching him before she blushed and turned away. _"She's still embarrassed. Damn it Gaara! Why the hell did you have to kiss her under that mistletoe! This whole month's gonna be awkward now!" _He continued to smile trying to hide his frustration. Naruto scowled as did Lee and they both sat back down crossing their arms.

"That wasn't very funny Kiba." Lee said to him scowling.

"Oh come on it was just a joke!" Kiba protested still laughing. Naruto just sat there pouting.

"Oh come on Naruto lighten up." Sakura said flicking his nose playfully. His face softened and he uncrossed his arms.

"Ok fine Sakura-chan." He smiled at her and Lee loosened up as well. Sakura gave Naruto and Lee both quick hugs and giggled.

"Sorry about scaring you guys I didn't mean to." She said innocently giving them both big puppy eyes.

"It's fine Sakura-san!" Lee said smiling. She smiled at him and he blushed a little.

"Yeah it's ok no harm done." Naruto said happily earning a smile from Sakura as well. Gaara scowled a little and sighed.

"Kiba are those two always mooning over her?" He said to him leaning up against the back of the couch.

"Yeah I have no idea how she stands it. They never leave her alone I don't blame her for hitting Naruto all of the time. She won't ever say that she hates them though she cares for them both deeply but not in the way that they care for her." Kiba sighed. "The day that she gets in a real relationship is the day that they will finally have to face the cold hard truth." Gaara thought over what Kiba had just said.

_"Wait, does he mean that she's never had a real boyfriend?"_ He thought. He was a little shocked by this. _"How could someone like her never have a boyfriend? She's nice and funny and well I guess she's cute." _Gaara watched her sitting there laughing with Tenten and Ino who had just come back into the room.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Kiba barked snapping Gaara out of his thoughts.

"Yeah! Come on guys it'll be fun!" Naruto said smiling.

"Ok we're in!" Ino said smiling at Sakura who was shaking her head. "Oh no, you are playing this game, forehead, no matter if you want to or not!" She grabbed onto Sakura's arm and plopped her onto the floor shoving Naruto away to sit next to her. Gaara sat down next to Lee and Naruto next to Kiba and Tenten. Kiba grinned at them.

"Ok I'll go first. Hmmm Ino!" He grinned at her devilishly.

"Yes dog breath?" She smiled sweetly back at him.

"Truth or dare?" She screwed up her face a little and made it look like it was a hard decision.

"Truth." She said smiling.

"Ok then. Do you like Shikamaru?" Kiba said wiggling his eyebrows. Gaara scowled a little.

_"Temari likes Shikamaru. She probably knows that but still…" _he waited for her to answer.

"No I don't he's so boring and plain and lazy!" She scrunched up her nose while talking which made Gaara relax a little.

"Ok my turn to ask!" Naruto piped up. "Hmmm Lee truth or dare?"

Lee gave him his signature thumbs up smile and said. "Dare!" Naruto grinned devilishly.

"I dare you to stand outside barefoot for a minute!" Kiba laughed and Ino smirked.

"Naruto! It's a total snowstorm out there! He'll get frostbite!" Sakura said her eyes wide.

"Nonsense! I accept this challenge!" Lee jumped up and ran to the door flinging it open and walking out into the snow. The cold air rushed inside and made everyone shiver. Naruto shut the door and they all crowded around the small windows to watch Lee standing outside in the snow shivering.

"Oh my gosh that is so funny!" Ino laughed seeing Lee standing there proudly in the blizzard.

"This is a priceless moment everyone." Tenten announced laughing at Lee. They all burst out laughing hysterically, even Gaara, as Lee attempted to show off and ended up falling into the snow and almost sliding down the stairs.

"We are never gonna let him live that one down." Naruto said laughing even harder.

"Should we let him in now?" Kiba chimed in.

"Sure do it quickly before I die laughing!" Naruto said doubling over.

"All right Lee you can come in!" Tenten called opening the door. Lee burst inside hopping from one foot to the other trying to rub his toes.

"I've lost all feeling in my foot!" He whined sitting down near the fire trying to warm his toes. Sakura came over and healed his feet of any frostbite they could have gotten. He sighed in relief. "Thanks Sakura-san!" She nodded and sat back down. "Ok then it's my turn. Naruto! Truth or dare?" He said hopping onto his blanket.

"Dare of course!" He said rolling his eyes as if it was obvious.

"I dare you to stand on your head until someone else dares you again." Lee said to him.

"Tsk! That's easy!" He quickly turned onto his head and crossed his arms.

"Ok it's my turn!" Tenten chimed in. "Gaara truth or dare?" Gaara looked at her blankly.

"Truth I guess." He shrugged as if the question was a mere suggestion.

"Do you ever see yourself getting married?" Gaara thought about this. _"Do I? I've never thought about it. I would have to find someone smart, funny, kind, a strong fighter, tactical and able to hold her own against men." _He froze as realization hit him. _"Someone like Sakura." _He thought but suddenly realized that everyone was waiting for an answer. "Sure I guess I've never really considered it but why not?" He shrugged again. _"Why is Sakura invading my head! ARGH! I can't get rid of her!"_ He struggled with this new idea that had formed in his head, the idea of him actually liking Sakura. He shook it off and continued to play the game. "I guess it's my turn. Ok uh Kiba truth or dare?" He looked at Kiba trying to avoid Sakura's eyes.

"Dare of course!" He said happily smiling his toothy grin.

"I dare you to pretend to chase your "tail" for ten minutes." He grinned as Kiba's face fell a little.

_"Oh sure make fun of the dog kid." _He rolled his eyes and started to run in circles on all fours. Ino laughed like crazy pointing at him while he scowled at her twisting in circles.

"Aww the poor puppy's mad at me!" She stuck her tongue out at him and he returned the gesture. Sakura giggled and looked around at Naruto, still on his head, Kiba, spinning in circles, Ino rolling on the floor in laughter, Lee snickering at both of them, Tenten laughing along with Ino, and finally Gaara, who was sitting near the couch arms crossed with a smug grin on his face.

_"Wow he looks so confident like that." _She thought. _"Not to mention hot! Those arms are strong enough to match that six pack!" _Inner chimed in practically swooning. _"Stay out of this!" _Sakura thought angrily to her. She smiled hiding her brief scowl and quickly looked away blushing as; once again, Gaara caught her staring.

End of chapter 9!

Sorry to leave you guys with ANOTHER cliff hanger! Review please!


	10. Chapter 10

Saki-"Hello everyone!"

Naruto-"Morning Saki-chan!"

Saki-*eye twitches* "Naruto I know you're my friend but just say the lines and leave."

Naruto-"O-ok Saki-chan! No need to get angry! She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!"

Saki-"Back to the story!"

Chapter 10

_ "There she goes again! Blushing and staring then that quick- look- away- and- hide! Why the hell does she keep doing that? It's starting to really tick me off. I hope she doesn't do that the entire time I'm here. She doesn't understand I guess. I really don't mind the blushing or the occasional glance. Actually she's kind of driving me insane with that blush of hers. No! I'm not gonna start thinking about that! Come on focus on getting through this game." _Gaara shook his head a little and chuckled as if he had been focusing on what was happening all along and wasn't thinking about Sakura.

"Ok everyone it's my turn to ask! Forehead! Truth or dare?" Ino smiled at Sakura. _"She's gonna choose truth."_

"Oy, Lee, five bucks says she chooses dare." Naruto whispered to Lee.

"Hmph your on!" _"Sakura-san never chooses dare! Those five bucks are mine!"_

"Hmm…Oh what the heck dare!" She said smiling surprising everyone.

"Pay up!" Naruto shouted to Lee, still upside down. Lee grumbled and handed him five bucks. Sakura watched them and snickered a little.

"Ok everyone listen up!" Ino declared standing up on the couch as if it was a huge announcement. Sakura put her head in her hands and silently cursed herself for choosing dare.

_"Ino's gonna make me do some elaborate dare that will eventually end up in me kissing someone or doing something really stupid." _she blushed a little. _"Personally I hope she has us kiss…" _Sakura quickly shut Inner out not wanting to hear what she had to say. Although she thought she already knew what it was. She looked up as Ino continued on after Kiba finally stopped spinning and collapsed in a dizzy heap on the floor.

"I'm going to get a ribbon and a Christmas present tag. I am then going to write someone's name on the tag and tie it to the ribbon. I will then tie the ribbon around forehead's waist. She can't look at the name on the tag and has to keep it hidden from us, aka, hide it under her shirt. Only I will know whose name is on the tag. If anyone, including you forehead, sees the name for the rest of the party they have to tell me and she will be forced to kiss the person. She won't be able to cheat because either I or Tenten will be watching her for the rest of the night." Naruto and Lee smirked to each other and Ino rolled her eyes. "This is kind of like a dare for all of us because if one of us see's the name she loses the dare and has to kiss that person." Again Lee and Naruto's eyes lit up at this idea. Sakura's face fell and she put her head in her lap.

"I'm doomed!" she muttered.

"Oh come on Sakura! It's not that bad!" Naruto chimed in smiling.

"Alright, alright! Come on forehead let's go tie that ribbon to you!" Ino said smiling dragging her out of the room despite her cries of protest.

"Hehehe I am gonna see that name before this party is over I promise I will!" Naruto said smiling.

"I just wanna see what the name is. But it would be funny to see her kiss someone." Tenten said giggling.

_"Oh Kami please let it not be me!" _Gaara prayed in his head. Kiba laughed.

"What if we all try to think of different ways to get her to look or see the name?" Kiba said now very much enjoying the game.

"Well Ino said she had to keep it hidden under her shirt…" Naruto began. Tenten quickly cut him off.

"We are NOT having Sakura take off her shirt!" Naruto shook his head in protest.

"T-that's not what I meant…although that is a good idea…" He stopped as Tenten glared at him. "B-but I meant like get her to do a handstand like I'm doing. Her shirt will fall down just enough that we can read the name on the tag." He smiled his cheesy grin again and Kiba smiled as well.

"That's a great idea! But what if it doesn't work? We need a fall back." They all sat in silence until Lee chimed in.

"We could wait till she's asleep and then look." Lee suggested.

"Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!" Kiba agreed. "Ugh what happens if it's me! Not that I would mind but it would be kind of weird."

"I would love it to be me!" Naruto said grinning obviously fantasizing.

"I would make it a passionate kiss that she would never forget!" Lee said clenching his fist to his chest and standing up.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Ewwwww what if it's me!" Tenten squealed. Naruto and Lee got nosebleeds at the thought. "No Ino wouldn't do that would she?" Tenten said freaking out.

"Oh my god that would be funny if she did!" Kiba howled in laughter.

"Hey guys what about Gaara?" Kiba said pointing to Gaara who, up until this point, had been smirking at their reactions. He shrugged.

"I don't care. It's probably either Lee or Naruto because, no offence, but I really don't think she wants to be kissed by either of you. I mean honestly every time you guys try she either hits you or runs away doesn't she? So it would be logical to think that Ino would want to embarrass her by making her kiss one of you." He shrugged as if it was obvious.

"Woah I never would have thought of that." Kiba said surprised. Tenten nodded.

"That gives me even more of a reason to try to see that name!" Naruto said almost falling over. "Ugh! Someone please dare me to do something! My head's starting to go numb!"

"Ok fine I dare you to lick the floor." Lee said plainly.

"Thanks I needed to get off of my head." Naruto said falling to the floor. "Woah I feel so dizzy ugh!" Naruto rubbed his head before quickly licking the floor and walking into the kitchen to rinse his mouth out. Just then Ino appeared with Sakura.

"Ok everyone! Let's open presents and then we can watch a movie!" Ino said sitting down. Everyone agreed and began to pull out scrolls containing presents and pass them around. Sakura grabbed the presents from Neji, Shino, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Choji and passed them around to the others.

"Oh um Ino can you tell me what this is?" Sakura said opening the present from Shino and holding it up for her to see.

"Hmm it looks like a necklace with a scarab beetle on it. Oh look I got one too." Ino said holding up hers. Tenten opened her present and held up a necklace as well.

"Remind me to thank him it's kind of pretty in a weird buggy way." Tenten said setting it down. Sakura agreed and set hers down as well.

"Oh boy! Choji got me a coupon for Ichiraku's!" He smiled and held up the coupon.

"He gave me one too!" Lee said showing Naruto his coupon as well.

"Wow leave it to Neji to get me a cook book!" Sakura said scowling. Naruto started to make a comment but was stopped by Kiba holding his mouth shut before he could say something stupid.

"Tsk. At least it's better than what he got me. Seriously a flower arrangement book? I work in a flower shop! I think I know how to arrange flowers!" She put the book next to her and opened a present from Sakura. "Oh wow forehead! You did good this year!" She smiled and held up a pair of pink flower earrings.

"No problem Ino-pig I thought you might like them." She smiled and opened the present from Ino. "Thanks for the pink kunai holder! I needed a new one my old one's strap just broke!" She smiled at Ino and held up the gift. Gaara looked at the presents in front of him. A book from Neji on Konoha customs and traditions, a coupon to Ichiraku's from Choji, a shoji set from Shikamaru, and some other gifts from the rest of them that he hadn't opened yet.

Kiba smiled at Naruto and thanked him for the dog whistle that he gave him. "I need this for the little kids at the compound they never listen to me when I call them." He smiled at Naruto who gave him the thumbs up.

"Thanks Sakura-san!" Lee said holding up a set of new leg warmers. He leaned over and hugged her quickly smiling happily.

"I thought you needed a new pair, those have pockets on the inside for your weights." She said pointing to the inside.

"Wow Sakura-chan! You didn't need to get me this!" Naruto said holding up a new jacket and kunai pack.

"It's no problem guys really it's Christmas!" She smiled and hugged him as well. Gaara looked at the presents in front of him noticing a box wrapped in red paper with a card on the top, his name scrawled on it in wispy flowing cursive.

_"That one's from Sakura. I'll open it later after everyone's asleep. I'd rather not see it just yet." _He reached for a small poorly wrapped package from Shino containing a pocket guide to poisonous insects of the desert. He chuckled and slipped it into his pocket. The others all giggled and laughed as they opened their presents throwing wrapping paper at one another and being all around cheerful. Gaara liked this feeling of cheer and happiness. _"I had such a horrible life before I met them. I feel as though I'm finally catching up on everything I've missed in my childhood. The laughter and cheer, Christmas as a whole really." _He smiled and struck up a conversation with Naruto. Naruto was happy to see Gaara interacting so well.

_"I'm glad he's finally decided to be more social and less of an introvert. I know it's got to be hard but he's doing really well." _He smiled and talked to Gaara while Sakura put in a movie.

"I'll make some popcorn and grab some Pocky. It's like eleven so we can just hang out for a while and hope the power doesn't go out." She looked up warily at the lights as she walked out of the room. _"I really hope the power doesn't go out. That would suck. Being in the dark next to Naruto and Lee would not be fun. Not to mention that I can't look at this stupid tag on my waist! No doubt they would use that as an opportunity to grab it off of my waist and look at the name." "Yeah but would you really care if someone kissed you? I mean what if the name was Gaara?" _Inner chimed in casually. _"So what it would be the same as it being Kiba. Why does it being Gaara make a difference. I just hope it's not Naruto or Lee." _ Inner snorted. _"It makes all of the difference if it's Gaara! He kissed you on the cheek and you can't hide the fact that you like him. Maybe not a lot…yet…but you do like him a little." "Of course I like him the same way I like Kiba, Naruto, and Lee, as friends. Besides I really doubt it's him. Ino would love to humiliate me and making me kiss Gaara would not be the way to do it."_ She rolled her eyes and put the popcorn in the microwave. _"Well what are you gonna do if it is Gaara? Personally I'm gonna enjoy it." _Inner said devilishly. Sakura snorted at her._ "It's not Gaara. You are just lustful and perverted and I'm not going to listen to your nonsense." "Oh harsh." _Inner pouted as Sakura shut her out again. Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed a Pocky stick absentmindedly gnawing on it as she waited for the popcorn to pop.

END OF CHAPTER 10!

Thanks to Nightoshi I finished early ;) You helped me push through my small writers block and get this one done early! Love you all! Remember keep reviewing! :)


	11. Chapter 11

Saki-"Goodmo-AGHHHH! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" *jumps onto desk screaming*

Shino-"It's just a spider."

Saki-"GET IT OFF OF MY COMPUTER!"

Shino-"Ok. There it's gone you can get off of the desk now."

Saki-"Shino if you weren't my friend I'd be punching your brains out right now just say the lines and get the bugs out of my house.

Shino-"She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products. Or bugs."

Saki-"See ya later Shino." *shudder* "I hate spiders."

Chapter 11

"Here guys popcorn's done!" Sakura said smiling setting down a bowl of popcorn which Kiba and Lee promptly dug into. Sakura sat down holding onto the Chocolate Pocky and munching happily. Naruto spotted the Pocky and smiled devilishly.

"Hey guys there's Pocky!" He said grabbing the attention of everyone. Lee's eyes lit up as he knew what Naruto was inferring. "Who wants to play the Pocky game?"

"No! Nope not happening! We are gonna watch this movie and nobody's gonna step out of line understood?" She was clenching her fist and had a death look in her eye. Everyone except for Gaara nodded and shrunk back at her anger. Gaara merely smirked and watched her.

_"That's the Sakura I know, strong and quick to stop Naruto's antics." _He continued to smirk as Sakura cracked a smile and sat back smiling sweetly turning on the movie and snuggling under a blanket. Naruto still cowered but cautiously moved closer to Sakura. Gaara frowned a little and sat next to her leaning against the couch as well.

"Thanks Gaara." She whispered barely audible as Naruto pouted and moved back to his spot.

"It's no problem I could tell you were done with him clinging onto you." He whispered back to her his eyes never leaving the screen. Sakura looked up at him and saw how serious his expression was. His eyes seemed so hard and cold the black making the pale green stand out a little in the low light. Sakura's face screwed up a little, being a medic she didn't like it when people were hurt. She could tell by Gaara's eyes that he had been hurt his entire life. This bothered Sakura more than anything she wanted to make that pain and hurt go away. It was in her nature to want to help the people she cared about. She yawned a little and dully turned back to the movie not really watching it but keeping her eyes on it just for the sake of not looking at his eyes anymore.

"Hey Sakura can you do a handstand?" Lee said leaning on the couch nearest Sakura.

"Yeah of course I'm a ninja numbskull…why do you ask?" Sakura said raising an eyebrow. Gaara rolled his eyes but played along.

"Of course she can do a handstand! She'll do one right now to prove it!" Gaara said scowling a little at Lee.

"See Lee look I can do a handstand." She flipped over onto one hand the other hand holding her shirt down. Lee pouted.

"Aww man how'd you find out." Lee whined.

"It was obvious especially since you've seen me do a handstand before and because we're both ninja and have to know how to do handstands as a basic dodging maneuver." She said snippily as she sat back down. Lee opened his mouth a little and then shut it again not being able to protest against this. "Look if you guys really want to see the name on the tag then I'll make a deal with you. If the power goes out before tomorrow morning and stays out for ten minutes I'll look at the tag. If not, well then tough luck." She shrugged and settled back into the couch. Lee and Naruto looked hopeful and Kiba smiled.

"That's a good bet considering that the snow tends to knock out power lines a lot." He smiled and took some Pocky munching on it in a casual manner. Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Me losing is pretty likely I know but I'm not going to put up with your weak ideas for trying to look at the tag." She rolled her eyes at Kiba and looked back at the screen.

_"She never lets people make fun of her for very long. She either shoots their stupid ideas down or punches their lights out. She's definitely my kind of girl." _He smiled and almost put his arm behind her shoulders that were dangerously close to his own. He quickly reigned in his feelings and focused on the movie. The storyline was a little weak and the scenes were pretty predictable. Gaara soon found himself drifting into thought. _"What possessed me to come here in the first place? Was it a feeling? I barely remember leaving Suna all I remember is suddenly wanting to be in Konoha."_

_Suna: The day before Gaara left for Konoha_

_"Gaara we're leaving for Fire Country are you coming?" Temari called to her brother who was sitting in his usual spot on the roof._

_"No you guys can go but I'm staying here." He called back waving to his siblings never making his gaze leave the city._

_"Ok we'll tell Naruto you say Merry Christmas." Temari and Kankuro waved to Gaara and then left. Gaara still sat on the roof looking over his city._

_"It's Christmas? I haven't bothered to pay attention to the days. Not that it matters I don't really get involved with that holiday anyways." He thought watching his siblings hop over the roofs to the gate of Suna. "Hmm I will have to send gifts to my friends in Konoha." He stood up and glided off the roof on his sand. His feet touched the ground and he began to walk down the road into the market district. He pulled a black scarf up around his hair and mouth to conceal his identity, making sure he covered his scar, and began to look in the shops. He wasn't really looking until something caught his eye. He stopped and went into the shop asking the shop owner about the item and eventually paying for it. "Sakura will like that it will suit her." He thought as he left immediately wondering where that idea came from. "Why did I just think about her?" He thought scowling a little. "Oh boy my influential hormones are finally kicking in." Shukaku growled from inside Gaara. "You've been quiet lately." Gaara thought back to him. "Thanks to you dying I can only talk to you when you need my advice or when you seek me out." He replied. "I didn't seek you out and I don't think I need your advice. What hormones were you talking about?" Gaara left the shopping district and flew back up to the roof on his sand. "When we tried to kill that girl during the Chunnin Exams she was weak. But I saw potential in her she is a friend to the fox boy and has great power in her. Her chakra, while not as strong as ours, is incredible. She would make a strong mate." "Mate? What are you talking about Shukaku?" Gaara growled to him angrily. "My hormones will eventually cause you to want to find a girl to be with. When you find her you will mark her and she will become yours. You do this by infusing some of our chakra into her blood. This forms a bond that links you to her. This doesn't mean that she will feel more attracted to you in any way. It simply means that you have marked her as your mate. You can sense when she is in danger and in this way, keep her safe." Shukaku explained to him. "So what does Sakura have to do with this?" Gaara growled becoming impatient and angry. "Like I said before, she is powerful. I am merely causing you to look at her in a different light, so to speak. You will start to criticize her as a potential mate. I can't decide for you and in the end it will be your decision as to who you want to be your mate. I can only help your feelings along and pick out those who will be strong and powerful for you to view as a mate. I chose her as a strong choice. I suggest we visit Konoha soon. My hormones are very powerful and I won't hesitate to force you to view her as an option." Shukaku growled this last bit of information out to Gaara and then faded away again. Gaara thought over this. "Sakura? My mate? As in me marrying her and having children with her?" He shook his head and tried to dismiss the thought but her face kept appearing in his mind. "Damn Shukaku won't let her leave my head until I see her will he?" Gaara sighed and jumped off the roof to go alert the council that he would be leaving for Konoha soon. "I'd better leave tonight or else they will send escorts." He set off down the hall to go discuss this with them. _

Gaara snapped back to reality looking around Sakura's living room, his eyes coming to rest on her. _"Shukaku I think I am beginning to understand what you mean. She seems to be a good choice of a mate but I need to take it slow. I'm here for a month I will try to warm her up to the idea by then. I won't make an official proposal yet I need to get to know her more and scout out her flaws and abilities to consider her as a potential mate." _He thought he heard Shukaku growl his approval but he couldn't be sure. He decided to lean back and watch the movie again or risk her catching him staring. The lights began to flicker and Sakura sucked in her breath in expectation as they flickered four times and then went out.

"YES YES YES!" Naruto and Lee screamed in the dark jumping up and dancing around on the floor.

"Not so fast!" Sakura said standing up. "I said they had to be out for ten minutes." She scowled in the dark and walked into the kitchen to get some candles hearing Lee and Naruto's excited laughter. Gaara smiled a little and watched her go.

"Sakura-chan has to look at her tag sooner or later!" Naruto said smiling. "Hey Ino can you just tell us now? I don't want to wait."

"No I'm not gonna tell you yet!" She smiled and crossed her arms. Naruto pouted.

"Hmm I bet you it's gonna be me!" Lee said smiling. Naruto scowled.

"I bet you it's me!" He said grinning. Lee scowled a little but changed his expression back to a grin as Sakura came back into the room. "Hey Sakura-san!" He grinned and slid next to her on the couch. Her eye twitched but she held back from launching him across the room.

"It hasn't been ten minutes yet I still have eight minutes left." She sank back into the couch as Ino smiled.

"I never said she wouldn't have to kiss more than one person." She grinned evilly looking at Naruto and Lee who were giving each other death glares. Sakura groaned and sank back into the sofa.

"Ino-pig why do you like to torment me?" She shook her head and looked at her scowling a little. Ino laughed and shrugged.

"I guess I'm just used to it forehead." She smiled at her sweetly through the dark as the moments passed by. Sakura could tell everyone in the room was anxious to see the name. She sighed and ran her hand through her pink hair.

"How many more minutes do we have left?" Naruto whined breaking the silence.

"About two." Kiba said happily grinning at Naruto. Naruto smiled and laughed.

"Oh I can't wait! I bet you it's me!" He said grinning at Ino trying to get her to give something away.

"I told you dobe I'm not telling you!" She scowled at him and then looked at Sakura. "Ok forehead time's up." She grinned evilly as Sakura groaned and shook her head.

"Why did I ever get involved in this." She mumbled as she very tentatively reached her hand under her shirt and untied the ribbon. She pulled it out slowly and glanced at the name groaning and hiding her face in her hands along with the ribbon.

"Come on Sakura-chan show us!" Naruto called everyone's eyes sparkling with anticipation and anxiety. Sakura shook her head again and mumbled something inaudible to anyone. Gaara froze thoughts running through his head furiously.

_"What if it's me? That could blow my whole plan! It had better not be me. I'll murder Ino if she did that. No I'm going to play this by ear if it is me I have to act indifferent. Oh no just please don't be me!" _Gaara hardened his expression and shifted to look at Sakura like everyone else. She raised her hand up holding the ribbon. As Naruto and Lee lunged for it to see who it was. Naruto grabbed it and brought it down to his level about to read it when Kiba snatched it away. He glanced at it and howled with laughter letting it fall to the ground open so everyone could see.

End of Chapter 11!

Hahahaaha cliff hanger! I'll update soon! Reviews please!


	12. Chapter 13

Saki-It's the chapter you've all been waiting for!

Ino-Hehehe grab some Pocky and popcorn and enjoy!

Saki-I worked really hard despite my finger so you guys better like it!

Ino-Yep so she doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki-Now the moment you've all been waiting for! Chapter 13!

Chapter 13

Sakura took one look at the tag and swayed before fainting. Naruto and Lee stopped mid fight and both scrambled to catch her.

"What's the tag say?" Naruto shouted trying to get Sakura to wake up.

"It says…."Gaara said bending to pick it up. He froze and his eyes reflected panic, anger, excitement and love for what he saw. "Me." He said plainly trying not to give away his plan in any way. Naruto and Lee's mouth fell open and they both floundered for words.

"But I thought….Ino!" Naruto scowled and set Sakura down before looking at Ino. He growled and turned on her in a flurry of anger and tackled her tickling her until she cried out. Tenten tried to stop them but was pulled back by a laughing Kiba who merely chuckled and said.

"Let it go Tenten or they'll turn on you too." She smiled and sat down laughing.

"Come on guys! It's just one kiss! Stop!" She tried to get away but was pulled back by Lee who held her while Naruto continued his tickle attack. Gaara wasn't focused on anything he was still trying to get over the shock. A small "Ugh" Came from Sakura's lips. Gaara turned to look at the body of the pink haired kunoichi that he wanted to be his who was slowly regaining consciousness. He snapped out of his thoughts and bent down gently shaking her shoulder urging her to wake up.

"Sakura? Are you alright?" He whispered as her eyes fluttered open looking at his own full of anger and concern. She blinked and gazed up into his eyes. Her own eyes showed a mixture of realization, fear, and something Gaara couldn't quite place. She nodded and sat up slowly her green chakra filled hand already moving to her head to clear up her small headache.

"Yeah I'm fine I was just a little tired and surprised I guess." She smiled apologetically up at him and looked at Ino who was being tickled by Naruto and Lee who were still shouting and Kiba who was looking at the scene and, as usual, laughing hysterically. "What the heck are you guys doing to Ino-pig?" Naruto and Lee stopped dropping Ino and sitting on the couch, arms crossed with sour looks on their faces.

"She wrote Gaara's name on the tag instead of ours it's not fair. She knew Gaara was the only one that was nonchalant about the whole thing and just did it to make us mad." Naruto pouted gazing longingly at Sakura. Lee sighed. Tenten giggled as Ino smirked.

"Come on Sakura kiss him!" She urged shoving her a little. Sakura's face turned pale and then red and Gaara made her sit down for fear she would faint again. She looked up at him and blushed even harder. Her head was reeling and Inner wasn't helping. _"KISS HIM KISS HIM KISS HIM! Come on he obviously likes you, loves you maybe, anyone with me in their head could tell that. He has been staring at you all night! He came to Konoha just for you and he has been more than helpful. Especially with the mistletoe. Come on Sakura that has to be enough proof. This may be your only chance so take it!" _Sakura listened to Inner and thought over what she said tuning everyone else out and stared, blankly, at nothing. _"Inner I'm not going to really listen to what you just said but I know more than anyone that I can't get out of this so I'll do what they want. But I don't want to have to hear you unless I specifically call for you. Understood?" "Yes." _Sakura turned her head to look up at Gaara and he sat down next to her their heads moved towards each other very slowly Sakura's heart beating so hard against her chest she swore it would burst out. Gaara's heart was starting to match Sakura's but he seemed more calm and in control and quickly calmed his racing heart.

_"Gaara, this won't ruin our plan just go with it kid." _Shukaku growled in his head sensing his anxiety. Gaara set his face to be as hard as stone. _"I know. I need to act nonchalant I've been forming a plan just in case this happened."_ Shukaku grunted his approval and Gaara snapped back into focus. He quickly moved in and lightly touched his lips to hers breaking the kiss quickly and shrugging before settling back into the couch like it was no big deal. Sakura stopped moving and froze completely stunned. She pulled back and looked at Gaara sitting nonchalantly on the couch his arms crossed in his usual manner as if nothing had happened.

"Hahahaha wow Sakura you should have seen your face!" Ino giggled as Sakura stuck her tongue out at her and turned a little red. She stood up and sat on her sleeping bag next to Naruto who had turned away from the whole thing and had his arms crossed angrily.

"Naruto, come on it is Christmas please don't be mad." She gave him a quick hug instantly melting his angry demeanor and making his mouth turn up into a small smile. He hugged her back and then lay back on his sleeping bag. Lee also smiled and laid on her other side. Kiba yawned and stretched out on the floor near the fireplace his eyes drooping lazily. Ino stopped giggling and lay down on her own sleeping bag next to Tenten. "Well it seems like that was a huge downer on the excitement." Sakura said laughing. Ino shrugged.

"You're a boring kisser you put all of us to sleep." She smirked and flashed her tongue at Sakura. Sakura laughed and curled up under her blankets her eyes drooping closed.

"Goodnight guys." Tenten said earning a snore from Kiba and a mumbled. "Night." From everyone else. Gaara watched lazily from the couch before padding over to his own sleeping bag and crawling inside of it his eyes resting on the beautiful face of the drowsy kunoichi sleeping across from him. His eyes traced her beautiful porcelain-like face following every little detail and curve with hungry eyes. Her cute sloping nose, her soft pink lips that only moments ago touched his, her long curved lashes closed gently on her face. His eyes took in every detail and stored it in his mind. He wanted to hold her small sleeping form against his chest, to feel her quiet breathing and to rest his cheek on her soft pink tresses that lay strewn about on her pillow, a few strands cradling her face. He wanted her to be his more than anything before. He loved her and he knew it was more than just Shukaku's hormones. He knew he had loved her for a long time but hadn't realized it until now. She was the light that had saved him forma life of darkness and fear. He could clearly see her body lying in a heap from when he attacked and almost killed her after the Chunnin exams. Anger welled up inside of him, anger at himself for ever hurting her._ "Shukaku I need your help. I need to make her mine. I want to be able to keep that beauty to myself and to hold her every night in my arms, to keep her safe and protected so that beautiful flower doesn't ever get damaged again." _He closed his eyes and held her image in his head. _"My Sakura." _

End of Chapter 13! Sorry it's so short chapter 14 coming soon!

I can't wait to read the reviews from this one :)


	13. Chapter 14

Saki-If you're reading this you are obviously interested enough to continue past the awesomeness of Chapter 13!

Choji-*Crunch* Great potato chips!

Saki- Thank you Choji please do the honors.

Choji-*Chomp* She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products! *Crunch*

Chapter 14

"Uggggghhhhhh… Mom you know I hate your soup…*snort*" Kiba rolled over and clawed at the air snorting and snuffling in his sleep.

Ino chucked a pillow at him and then went back to sleep rolling over and muttering "Stupid mutt." Naruto had his arm near Sakura's back and Lee had moved a little closer to her in her sleep. She opened her eyes a little at Ino's voice noticing Lee very close to her. She shot up in her sleeping back jumping a little and looked over at Naruto who snored and moved closer to her as well. She scowled and stood up in her sleeping bag quietly shuffling over to lie next to Tenten instead. She was quietly sleeping and Sakura assumed it was a safe place to sleep. As she was about to lie down Tenten's arm shot out and smacked the floor next to her with a loud thump. Tenten shifted in her sleep and went back to her peaceful appearance. Sakura's jade eyes grew wide and she moved back from Tenten quickly ditching that idea. She looked around and saw Ino on the couch, not enough room for her there, Kiba on the floor still scratching and kicking in his sleep, no way was she going to get clawed apart in her sleep. She sighed and noticed Gaara sleeping quietly on the other side of the room not moving with plenty of space next to him. _"Seriously? Why does this always happen to me?" _She sighed and shuffled over to the spot next to him scooting far enough away that it looked like she wasn't trying to sleep next to him. She glanced at his sleeping form facing, luckily, away from her. She sighed and snuggled into her warm sleeping bag quickly falling asleep again. Gaara listened for the sound of her light breathing before rolling over quietly to face Sakura. He smiled and watched her sleep her hair falling in her face in smooth pink tresses. He wanted to reach out and caress them. He sighed. _"I need to take it easy I have to try to make her fall in love with me or this will never work. I have to take the small steps before I take the final leap." _He sighed again wishing that he could act like Naruto and be a little reckless. He wanted to be able to put his arm around her shoulder and let her lean on him for support. He wanted to hold her soft cream hands in his own and run his fingers through her pink hair. But most of all he wanted her to love him forever. He wanted her to be his and his alone. He closed his eyes and imagined her beautiful jade eyes that had been so captivating even when he first met her. He remembered their first meeting quite well.

_Konoha: Near the Chunnin Exams_

_He had been so shocked when he first saw her from his perch in the trees. Her bright pink hair and green eyes were so vibrant and happy. He never knew anyone could be as happy as she looked. He wasn't even sure he knew what happy really was. She was giggling with a blonde boy that was overly obnoxious and cheerful. This irritated Gaara. He hated it when people were so obnoxious. "You should kill him if he's being annoying." Shukaku growled angrily as usual. Gaara nodded and watched as a raven haired boy appeared the girl greeted him cheerfully while the other seemed to become a little less obnoxious and suddenly a little angry at his arrival. Gaara watched the girl's reaction. She seemed overjoyed and even happier than she had before. That's when the raven haired boy noticed him._

_Konoha: In the forest after the Chunnin Exams_

_He saw her again. Through his rage Gaara saw the pink hair of the girl named Sakura behind him. "She's following us let me get rid of her." Shukaku growled. Gaara scowled and stopped running turning to face the blonde kid, Naruto, the raven haired brat, Sasuke, and the pink haired girl, Sakura. He felt his rage growing and knew that he couldn't contain Shukaku, not that he wanted to these brats were bothering him. He wanted to kill them. He wanted to see them die in front of him. His rage peaked and Shukaku began to take over. He only saw a glimpse of pink hair and green eyes before fading to black._

A loud shout jarred Gaara out of his sleep and he jumped up ready to defend Sakura. A quick glance around the room however, showed Lee and Naruto on opposite sides of the room glaring at each other.

"You had your arms around me!" Naruto said in horror.

"Not true you were the one who was holding me!" Lee countered pointing at him accusingly.

"I thought Sakura-chan was between us!" He yelled back waking up Kiba who stretched and looked at them lazily.

"Come on you guys it's only seven A.M. give it a rest." He stretched again and stood up shaking his head at them. Gaara chuckled and glanced down at Sakura who had woken up and stretched happily giggling at them.

"Come on guys lighten up I'll go fix some breakfast for us ok?" She stood up and stretched before walking into the kitchen. By now Naruto and Lee were sitting on opposite sides of the couch and Tenten and Ino returned from Sakura's room in their day clothes. They went in the kitchen to help Sakura so she could change into her own clothes. She thanked them and walked down the hall into her bedroom pulling on a red short sleeved shirt with her family mark on it before sliding on a pair of long black tights and a black skirt. She walked into her bathroom and combed her hair before walking into the kitchen to help cook the breakfast.

For a while the boys watched TV while the girls cooked until Naruto broke the silence. "Wow guys come look at all this snow!" Naruto said looking out the window at the two feet of snow piled up outside. Kiba looked outside and smiled.

"I love the snow this is gonna be so much fun!" He grabbed his jacket and boots and was halfway out the door when Sakura sang, "Breakfasttt!" He froze in his tracks and shut the door pulling off his boots and jacket zipping into the kitchen before anyone else. Gaara chuckled and followed him into the kitchen with Lee and Naruto who still wouldn't go near each other. Wonderful smells wafted out of the kitchen and surrounded the boys. Sakura and Ino had cooked omelets, pancakes, sweet rice and waffles. Kiba's mouth watered and Sakura giggled.

"Come on guys dig in!" She said cheerfully as Naruto, Lee and Kiba snatched a plate and piled it high with food. Sakura followed in their wake picking a waffle, some rice, and an omelet before moving to sit in the living room. Gaara watched how her hands delicately held her chopsticks and how she expertly moved her slender fingers on them. He got some food himself and walked into the living room sitting on the couch next to Sakura. She blushed a little and focused on her food. It got really quiet except for the scarfing noises coming from Lee, Naruto and Kiba. Ino wrinkled her nose and scowled.

"Do you have to be soooo loud?" She threw them a disgusted look as they looked up their mouths stuffed with food. They smiled and Ino gagged and turned away getting up to go into the kitchen. "Boys are so disgusting." She shuddered as she walked out of the room. Sakura giggled and Tenten got up next following Ino and going to eat in the kitchen. The three boys finished their food and dumped their plates in the sink before walking back to the living room and plopping lazily on the floor switching on the TV to the news to see what the rest of Konoha looked like. A reporter stood under a market stall downtown, the snow piled up around him he explained that they had gotten two feet of snow overnight and that the second wave would come after some of the snow melted. Naruto shouted in joy and raced Kiba and Lee to the door where they grabbed their boot and jackets before jumping outside into the deep drifts. Sakura and Gaara put their dishes in the sink and grabbed their coats as well, Sakura pulling on a pink striped pom-pom hat and gloves as well as her scarf and jacket. They walked outside and smiled before Sakura got hit by a snowball thrown by Naruto. She growled and quickly chucked one back at him starting a snowball fight the boys made their fort and the girls, Sakura, now joined by Ino and Tenten, made theirs and began chucking snowballs with deadly ninja accuracy like they had been taught all of their lives. They laughed and continued to fight each person incorporating sparring techniques in their throws. This wasn't just a snowball fight, it was a training session. Naruto had his eyes narrowed and the laughter soon ceased every one becoming serious in their fighting. Sakura used chakra to move the snow faster towards her target and Lee began to use his speed to make more snowballs quicker. They each were getting so serious they didn't notice the crowd gathering around them watching these ninja engage in a snowball war that was quickly turning dangerous. Naruto made shadow clones that kept a constant bombardment on the girls. They dodged them constantly while throwing their own snowballs. Kiba was growling in his throat while trying to aim directly at Tenten. Ino was pelting Lee who was dodging most but not all. Sakura aimed for Naruto who returned with much gusto but still not managing to hit Sakura who expertly dodged every snowball. The crowd cheered for them excited to be watching this battle between the sexes. Gaara had stopped and was now becoming increasingly concerned about Sakura. She was actually fighting now her jade eyes narrowed. She was using the snowballs as her weapons just as she would kunai or shuriken. Gaara's eyes darted quickly watching her every move looking furiously for any points where the snowballs connected with her body, but he couldn't see any, she was dodging every one. Gaara saw a small line of blood on Lee's face. Kiba had some scratches as well as Tenten, Ino, and Naruto. The snowballs were flying so fast they were slicing their skin. _"This is getting serious those people could get hurt by a stray snowball."_ He looked at his friends all competing in a serious fight. He watched Sakura dodge every one until one hit her on the arm drawing blood. She cried out a little and looked down breaking her concentration and causing everyone else to stop and blink.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked around at the others a bit dazed. Only a minute ago he felt as though he was in a real battle. All of that constant training was getting to him. He looked at his arms and saw small scratches on it looking at the others he noticed them as well. He looked back at Sakura's arm with one single cut running down it. She quickly healed it and healed the others as well breaking everyone out of their stupor.

"Woah we got way to serious." Kiba said shaking his head.

"Yeah that was weird. It was so surreal." Ino said nodding.

"How long were we fighting for?" Tenten said looking at Sakura who glanced at her watch.

"About an hour it's 11:00." She looked up at Tenten who nodded.

"Wow that was so weird." They all agreed. Gaara looked at Sakura and was grateful that she didn't get hurt. 

_"That could have gotten ugly very quickly."_ He watched as Kiba stretched.

"Thanks for having me over Sakura but I have to get back to the compound my Ma needs help with the little pups." She nodded as they all walked back inside. Kiba grabbed his stuff and called "Goodbye!" to everyone as he walked out the door. Tenten also go their stuff and thanked Sakura saying that she had to get home. Ino and Lee soon followed smiling and hugging Sakura saying that they had to get home as well. Naruto didn't seem to be leaving any time soon so Sakura ended up booting him out the door with a cheery, "Bye Naruto!" and a smile. She sighed and collapsed on the couch forgetting that Gaara still stood watching her from the kitchen.

End of Chapter 14! REVIEWS PLEASE! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!


	14. Chapter 15

Saki-Come on sensei! Let me have the cookies! I totally beat Naruto in the sparring and you said I could have a cookie if I did!

Kakashi- I never said that. No matter how much you beg me you're not getting that cookie. You are supposed to be eating healthy.

Saki-Awww come on one little cookie? Please! *puppy dog eyes*

Kakashi-Why do those eyes always get me? *hands me cookie* She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki-*munch* I own only cookies!

Chapter 15

Sakura sighed and rested her head quietly on the sofa unaware of Gaara who was now standing next to the couch. He walked across the carpet and reached out to grab her present to him that was lying on the table. Sakura's eyes flew open and she jumped a little on the couch.

"Oh Gaara, sorry I forgot you were here." She blushed and looked down.

"It's fine I was just getting this present I forgot to open it last night." He looked down at the small box wrapped in red paper. Sakura recognized the box and blushed again. It was her present for him. He looked at the tag just in case he was mistaken and it was not really hers. But the blush on her face had already told him it was. He looked at her and sat down next to her. "I hope you don't mind me sitting here." He gestured to his current spot near her. She shook her head.

"It's fine." She smiled a little but quickly averted her gaze. Gaara suppressed the urge to growl.

_"She keeps doing that! I'm seriously going to go mad if she doesn't stop." _He looked back at the box and carefully untied the ribbon around the box before pulling open the paper. Inside was a bow, which he opened, he pulled out a snow globe with the marketplace inside. He shook it and watched as the fake snow drifted down on the street. "Thank you Sakura, it will remind me of my visit here when I go back to Suna. She smiled and nodded. He was about to put down the box when he noticed another small box nestled in the wrappings. He looked at Sakura and picked it up. When he opened it he was in awe, inside lay a beautiful necklace, a single leather string with a small wooden carving hanging from it. On the carving was a small Sakura tree, barely noticeable on first glance, but upon further inspection you could see every individual flower on the tree. Under the tree small pink flowers lay scattered. It was amazing. Whoever crafted it had carefully carved every flower so that the final product looked real. He looked up at Sakura who had been watching him examine the carving. "Where did you find it?"

"I got it at a small store down the road from here." She blushed and looked at the carving. "I thought it would remind you of Konoha since we have so many Cherry blossom trees here in the spring." She smiled and lightly ran a finger across the carving. "It really is pretty." She smiled and looked up at him. He smiled a little back at her and looked back at the carving.

"It will help me remember Konoha." He refrained from saying what he really wanted to, that it would remind him of her. He didn't want her to leave because she was embarrassed. He smiled at her again and put the necklace around his neck and looked back at her. "I know the Cherry blossom trees won't have any flowers yet but do you think we could go see them sometime?" He asked her as he quietly reached behind his back to get his present for her. She smiled and nodded.

"They might not have any flowers yet but the snow makes them just as pretty." She looked at Gaara who smiled and held out a box wrapped in simple pink paper. She gasped a little as he handed it to her.

"It's nothing big but I think you'll like it." She smiled at him and began to open it. He watched carefully for her reaction when she saw the gift. She gasped when she opened the box.

"Oh Gaara, it's gorgeous!" She picked up the first of the two items in the box, it was a sword delicately crafted for quick maneuvers and skillfully polished with sand. It had an inscription on the hilt that Gaara had carved with his own sand. "To Sakura, A great friend and ally, Kazekage Gaara." She read aloud and smiled at him. "Thank you so much! I'm quite good with swords but haven't been able to find any that fit my liking." She held it up and balanced its weight in her hands. It really was perfect. Its balance was equal and light, perfect for quick hand-to-hand combat. She smiled and sheathed it into its holder that Gaara had wrapped it in. She looked back into the box and saw a small jewelry box with her name inscribed on the front. She picked it up and opened it her breath stopping abruptly at the sight. A necklace with a light red crystal sat hanging on the end of a small chain, inside the crystal sand swirled in a slow spiral. It reminded her of Gaara's sand swirling quietly around him when she visited him in Suna. "How on earth did you get this?" She held it up to the light still in complete awe at the craftsmanship.

"I bought the necklace and the crystal and placed some of the sand from Suna inside of it. I put a miniscule amount of my chakra in it and that is what keeps the sand swirling." He pointed to the moving grains as they twirled quietly in the crystal. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.

"You did that for me?" She looked at the necklace with the sand and thought of Gaara carefully infusing his chakra in it so that the sand would swirl just as it did when he was in Suna. _"Does he really care about me that much?" _She watched as he smiled gently.

"Of course you are one of my closest friends. You've never really been one to be afraid of me even during the exams." He held out his hand and she placed the necklace in it brushing against his hand causing shivers of electricity to run down her spine. He noticed this as well and resisted the urge to pull her close to him and never let her go. She watched as he unclasped the necklace and motioned for her to turn so he could put it on her. She obliged and tried not to shiver again at his warm hands brushing against her neck as he clasped it back on. She turned back to face him and ran her finger across the crystal causing the sand to swirl quickly. She gasped a little and dropped the crystal back onto her chest where it resumed its slow spiral. Gaara saw this and inwardly tried to think of an explanation. _"Shukaku why did my chakra react to her touch?" _He heard Shukaku chuckle. _"She has feelings for you. You forget that your chakra contains some of mine as well. The sand reacted to her touch because it has your chakra in it. When her hand touched the glass some of her chakra was in her fingers. It felt your chakra and reacted positively to it signifying that there is a bond between you two. To put it simply she has strong feelings for you. Since my hormones are currently causing you to be in search of a mate our chakra will react to the one who you have the strongest attraction or connection to. But it is a mirror reaction. They also have to have a strong connection or attraction to you for it to work."_ Gaara mulled this over as Shukaku's voice faded. "Sakura?" He said breaking the silence.

She turned to him and her eyes shimmered a little. "Yes? What's wrong?" She quickly glanced down at the necklace sitting on her chest. "Is there something wrong with the necklace?" She held it and the sand again swirled faster.

"No, I mean not exactly, nothing's wrong but there is something you should know. I don't expect you to understand right away." He waited and she nodded. "Your chakra reacted to mine. It's nothing bad and it can't hurt you. I really don't understand it myself but Shukaku explained it to me. When you touch the crystal it causes your chakra and mine to react to each other. This just means that the sand will swirl faster." She nodded. She had heard from Naruto that he could communicate with Kyuubi so she wasn't that surprised to know that Gaara could talk to Shukaku.

"I understand but why does it react?" She looked at his face and his eyes unknowingly held the answer. She blushed and looked down at the necklace. "It's very pretty. Thank you Gaara." She leaned over and hugged him. He froze, not used to this close contact yet, but forced his arms to move and hugged her back. She pulled away and stood up blushing he watched her leave the room talking about making lunch for them. He sighed. 

_"This is going to be harder than I thought." _He ran a hand through his hair and stood up to go help her in the kitchen. She waved him away and placed two bowls of ramen on the table.

"I hope you don't mind I wasn't really planning on making a big lunch today." She looked at the ramen and sat down to eat.

"It's fine I don't mind." He glanced at the clock on her wall. "This is a late lunch." He chuckled and she turned to see that it was almost two o clock.

"Wow it's been two hours and I didn't notice." She silently scolded herself for not being more observant but then stopped herself remembering what Tsunade-sama had said.

_Konoha: A week before Christmas_

_"Sakura, I know that you're bored and want to go on a mission but I want to train you more. You are very powerful and with a little more practice you might surpass me. But in order to do that you need to learn very advanced medical tactics." Sakura looked at her master and sighed._

_"Yes Tsunade-sama." She bowed lightly and looked at her master sipping her sake behind the desk. _

_ "You need to relax more Sakura, I know that it is in your nature to be prompt and organized but every once in a while let yourself live a little." Sakura nodded. "Here have some sake." She poured Sakura a small glass of sake despite her protests. "Drink." She commanded. Sakura took the drink and sipped it. It tasted horrible and it took all of her willpower not to spit it at her master. "Go home and relax. I don't have a scheduled time for your trainings I'll send a messenger whenever I want you to come train." She nodded as Sakura bowed and waved her out of the room. _

Sakura smiled. Maybe Tsunade was right Gaara was just what she needed to relax.

End of Chapter 15! Sorry I know it took FOREVER! These chapters might become a little slow I'm super busy with school and sports.


	15. Chapter 16

Saki-Hinata say it quickly and I promise you won't have to do it again.

Hinata-S-she d-d-doesn't own N-Naruto or N-N-Naruto product….*faints*

Saki-*sigh* Why does this always happen?

Chapter 16

"Gaara, do you want to go see the town? I haven't gotten a chance to show you Konoha from the roof tops." Gaara looked up as Sakura walked over to him and sat down in the chair across from him.

"Sure, Sakura, I would like that. My escorts always make me stick to the ground. I was actually thinking of having Kankuro become the new Kazekage. It's getting too confined for me. Though they all know if I ever wanted to leave I could." He shook his head a little and stood up walking over to the door to pull on his jacket and boots. Sakura smiled and followed him grabbing her scarf and coat before pulling on her boots. She was about to open the door when she felt something being pulled down over her ears. She turned around and blushed finding herself looking up at Gaara. "You forgot your hat. I thought your ears might get cold." She blushed and nodded thanks before opening the door and stepping out into the cold air.

"So where do you want to go first?" She said smiling at him.

"Hmm how about the training fields? I've actually never seen them." He looked down at her and she looked away nodding.

"This way!" She smiled before darting up to the nearest roof. He watched as she smiled down at him and then quickly followed. She darted in a quick path across the roof tops before jumping down into the deep snow. "Well this is it. Not all that interesting but still." She shrugged as Gaara looked over the wide fields surrounded by trees.

"Was this the first place you trained?" He gestured to three posts peeking out from the snow. She nodded.

"Yeah this was Team 7's training grounds." She whispered this and Gaara looked down noticing that her eyes were glazed over. He realized that this was probably hard for her and quickly changed the subject.

"So is it alright for us to go into the forest?" He gestured to the large group of trees towards the back of the clearing. She smiled and nodded before giggling.

"I'll race you." He looked down at her bubbly face and couldn't help but grin a little.

"Sure." She grinned again.

"Winner gets a prize of their choice." He nodded. "Alright then on three, one two three!" Sakura shot off like a rocket across the snow her feet barely touching. Gaara caught up and quickly passed her stopping at the trees before grinning at her.

"I won." He said smiling. She stuck out her tongue. He just laughed.

"All right so what do you want as a prize?" She crossed her arms and looked up at him. He didn't say anything. She waited wondering what he was thinking before he grinned.

"I'll tell you later." Sakura pouted a little and he laughed again.

"So what do you want to see in the forest?" She started walking across the snow gathering chakra in her feet so that she wouldn't sink. It was so second nature to her now that she didn't even notice it anymore. He looked up at the trees and the birds.

"I don't really know I just wanted to see the trees and snow I guess." He didn't look at her but could feel her eyes watching him. She looked away and smiled.

"I love how peaceful everything is after it snows." She smiled again as a bird trilled and flew off of a branch causing snow to fall gently down. Gaara looked around and nodded.

"I can see how you would enjoy that. In Suna everything is always moving the sand is never still. Sometimes it is hard to find true stillness and serenity." He bent down and picked up a handful of snow and let it slip out of his hand in small flakes. It reminded him of holding his sand when he was little and letting it slip through his fingers. Sakura looked at his calm face and couldn't help but notice that a little bit of the hurt in his eyes had returned.

"But if you think about it nothing is ever really still. The birds still move the trees and the animals still walk through the snow. Everything still moves even when we think it is still." She looked around and saw a doe dart off into the woods gracefully jumping through the deep snow. Gaara followed her gaze and watched the doe leave.

"Do you come to the forest often?" He looked down at her as she turned back to him.

"Not really, I used to but I don't have any time anymore and any time that I have I either train, read, cook, or take walks. I come through the forest all the time but if you mean just walk through it, not on a mission, then no, I don't come here often." She looked down at her feet barely touching the snow and only leaving small indents in it. She sighed and looked back at the sky. "Do you want to see my favorite place?" She didn't turn her head as she spoke. Gaara nodded and she glanced at him. "Come on it is a little ways from here. It's quickest by trees but careful it's kind of slippery." She darted up into the trees with Gaara close behind.

"Wait aren't these the Cherry Blossom trees?" Gaara asked when they stopped in a clearing with a path running through a large grove of trees. She smiled and nodded.

"When I was a kid my friends and I used to play here." She motioned to the trees and clearing before walking over to a tree and sitting on a branch high up in it. Gaara jumped up to a branch near her and sat down as well. "My mom used to bring me here. She died when I was twelve when she was on a mission. My dad died when I was three I barely remember them anymore." Gaara looked up at her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything would be ok and that he was here for her. He knew how it felt to be alone. He looked down when she raised her head again. "But let's not talk about that. Do you like it here Gaara?" She gestured to the gorgeous scene in front of them. He looked and saw the snow sparkling on the trees and ground. The trees seemed to be in sort of a circle leaving an open space in the middle. He nodded.

"It's beautiful. I'm glad you showed me." He watched as she smiled lightly and gazed out at the fields. Small snowflakes began to fall and Sakura looked up as one landed on her nose.

"Oh, it's so much more magical now." She giggled and jumped down into the snow landing gracefully on her feet barely indenting the snow. Gaara landed next to her and leaned against the tree as she laughed and walked out into the clearing catching snowflakes on her tongue. He almost couldn't stand it. He just wanted to run out and grab her by the waist and never ever let her go. He was snapped out of his daydream by her voice calling him. "Come on Gaara!" She laughed as she twirled slowly across the snow. He shook his head and just stood there watching her twirl across the snow. She seemed so perfect so natural in this environment where the pale snow and delicate snowflakes seemed to compliment her hair and skin perfectly. She stopped her spinning and grabbed Gaara's arm towing him into the middle of the field. He froze and stood there looking at her incredulously. She just shrugged. "I wasn't going to have you just stand there all serious. I know that you are the Kazekage but you need to lighten up. It was you who said that you didn't really like being the Kazekage because it was too much work. So just relax." Gaara loosened up a little and looked up blinking as the snowflakes landed on his face.

"I'm not going to twirl if that is what you are expecting." He looked back at her with cold eyes. His red hair had a light dusting of white snowflakes in it and he walked past her and back over to the trees. She sighed.

_"What was I expecting he is Gaara." _She chuckled quietly to herself and followed him. "So do you want to head back it's kind of cold out here." He nodded and they walked toward Konoha. They didn't talk on the way back and Gaara opened the door to her house before walking inside and taking off his coat and boots. She followed him and unwound her scarf before hanging her coat and hat up on a peg. She looked at the hat and remembered how Gaara had pulled it over her ears. She smiled lightly and reheated some ramen in the microwave for her and Gaara before sitting down at the table. He ate quickly and then stood up nodding to her and told her "Thanks." Before walking down the hall into his room. Sakura sighed. "I probably brought back old memories oh well it is kinda late I might as well go to bed as well."

END OF CHAPTER 16! REVIEWS!

Hey guys it's me Saki! Thanks again for all of the reviews! Right now I'm at 23 reviews! I have a challenge for you guys. Before I get to chapter 20 I want to have at least 50 reviews! Whoever sends me the 50th review will be included in my next story! You can pick what village you want to be from and what name you want to have in the story and I will include you in it. Who knows I might even make you Sakura's best friend in the story! I know this doesn't sound like a great prize but I think that you guys can do it! So spread the word! Copy and paste this to your own profile and see how many reviews I can get before Chapter 20! Remember look up sasoxsaki in the "Search" button up there. Please leave your reviews on Snowy Love! I hope we can do this guys! Keep up the good work!


	16. Chapter 17

Saki-I apologize again for these late updates! I'm kinda stuck in school.

Deidara- School's so boring can't I just make it disappear….with a bang, un?

Saki- I wish…Anyways here is chapter 17…after Deidara says his line.

Deidara-Saki doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products, un! *hugs*

Saki-Ok, I know I know love ya Deidara! Ok Deidara get off of me you're worse than Tobi! I swear I'll call Sasori!

Deidara- NO! Sorry Saki!

Saki-Ughhhhh onto the story peeps!

Chapter 17

The next two days seemed to be normal. Sakura went to the hospital to check up on her patients despite Tsunade banning her from the hospital premises, Naruto showed Gaara around a little then went to train, and Gaara went back to Sakura's ate dinner with her and went to bed. Then the second blizzard hit. Sakura sat huddled by the fire trying to stay warm in the dark, cold house, now deprived of power. "Kami it's cold!" She shuddered and grabbed the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Gaara walked into the room carrying more blankets and draped one gently over her shoulders.

"You looked cold." He said answering her stare. She blushed and nodded thanks.

"Gaara I'm sorry that you can't go back to Suna I know you wanted to get home and see your siblings for the holidays and…" Her voice trailed off as Gaara put a finger to her lips.

"Don't. You. Dare." He growled causing Sakura to stop talking. "I have told you so many times Haruno; I came here on my own accord. I chose to stay for the holidays. I want to be here." He whispered the last bit letting his hand drop back to his side. She looked at him with wide eyes her emerald orbs taking in every bit of his hard expression. He glared at her with an unblinking expression his face hardened into a mask of annoyance and power. She foundered for words but found none. Instead her mind settled on the notion that her mouth just wasn't working. He turned away from her and looked at the fire leaning lazily on the side of the couch all comfort or warmth in his features gone. In his head he was silently cursing his temper for causing this fiery kunoichi, whose reputation for hotheadedness was renounced in all of the nations, to become silent and shocked. She was famous for being the Legendary Slug Princess Sannin's student but her famous inherited temper was just as well known. _"Damn it Gaara! You just had to open your mouth and say that. Remember that we are trying to make her ours!" _He silently cursed to himself. He looked at Sakura who had stopped her foundering and was instead huddled under her blankets in deep thought.

_"He seems to be very adamant that it was his choice to come here and that comment about wanting to be here? Who is this new Gaara? He is definitely changed." _Inner Sakura rolled her eyes.

_"Umm Earth to Sakura! Open your eyes and look! He likes you, you moron! He actually wants to be here. Don't tell me you don't want to grab him and kiss him. I know you do I can feel it." _She practically shouted at Sakura. Sakura widened her eyes in sudden realization. So that is what he's been hiding. All these side glances and stares, and the constant tension she was feeling from him was him trying to hide that he liked her? She glanced back at him and saw an almost invisible sigh escape his lips. He felt bad about getting angry? She looked at him with new wonder and, what was it? Oh right, admiration. "Gaara I understand I'm just not used to anyone besides Naruto and Lee hanging around here. I guess I just feel bad about you leaving Suna for me. Nobody has ever done anything that nice for me before." She looked up at him her eyes pleading forgiveness. He sighed again.

"Sakura it is me who should be apologizing I was too harsh it's just my nature and I'm trying to change it. Forgive me?" He looked at her, a beautiful kunoichi, and the very essence of power hanging around her, yet somehow delicate and gentle. He wanted to take her in his arms and make her warm. Despite the fire and blankets he could see her breath in the frigid air making small white puffs of swirling white. He fought the once again huge urge to grab her and run away from this house to somewhere far away and keep her all to himself. Instead he waited for her answer watching the fire flicker behind her.

"Of course I forgive you Gaara." She whispered. He looked at her large green eyes looking at him with softness and warmth, something only a rare few people had ever given him. He smiled at her and moved to sit next to her. "Can we forget about it?" she whispered again looking up at him with a pleading glance.

"Of course it was nothing anyways." He nodded and pulled a blanket over himself as the power flickered back on. They both blinked as the lights came on. Gaara sighed. _"So much for a romantic atmosphere." _Sakura stood up and shut them off again.

"The heating is still out." He nodded as she came back to her spot shivering a little in the air. She flicked on the TV popping in a movie. Gaara's eyes lazily moved to the TV as the movie started he didn't watch for long as he felt a warm body against his. He looked down to see Sakura curled up against him.

"Sorry I didn't mean to…" She began as she caught his gaze. He stopped her and gave a small smile.

"I don't mind." He smiled again and turned back to the movie as she laid her head back on his shoulder. He liked the feeling of her weight against him, her small body curled against his large one. He smiled inwardly and heard Shukaku growl contently. _"I don't know how much I can take before I snap Shukaku. I don't think I can handle not being able to hold her or kiss her anymore. Why is that I wonder?" _Shukaku laughed. _"Hormones kid. Remember what I told you a while ago?" _Gaara thought back to what he had said.

_Forest of Konoha_

_"Shukaku what the hell! Are you kidding me? A physical attraction that won't go away? What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Gaara didn't care if he was shouting he was mad. Very mad. "Shukaku answer me." He growled an animalistic growl anger coursing through him. "Simple you will want her. To touch her, kiss her, whatever." He growled back annoyed. "Damn it Shukaku I know what it means! I just want to know why? Why her! Why did it have to be her! I tried to kill her Shukaku, in case you forget, we tried to kill her!" He was still screaming pacing the ground around his campsite. He didn't need to sleep really but wanted to at least rest. "Forget that idea of sleep tonight." He shouted again sarcastically. "Because I really want to ride my sand for three fucking days without any sleep!" He didn't care if rouge ninja found him now he would kill them instantly he was in a rage and everyone knew that people die when he became angry. He yelled in frustration and sat back down onto a log his head in his hands. "Come on kid it isn't that bad." Shukaku said trying to help his host out a little. "You don't get it." He growled. "She saved my life despite me almost ending hers, she helped me and Naruto get to understand each other, she has always been nice to me at least a little bit. She was crying at Chiyo's grave even though she barely knew her. She is the most dedicated person I have ever met and me? I'm a heartless murderer who has killed without a glance and doesn't care about it." He stood back up and growled again kicking the ground like a frustrated kid. "I don't deserve her don't you get it? I deserve to die alone again I'm just going to end up killing her." He screamed in his fit of pure anger. "Kid listen you can change!" Shukaku growled back. "How?" Gaara asked calming down a little. "I don't know I only have a taste for blood and death as you know. You will figure it out." He went silent and Gaara knew he had to go through with it Shukaku's hormones weren't gonna let up and he couldn't escape them like he had escaped everything else before. "Why does this always happen to me?" He growled and got back onto his sand heading out before he decided to destroy everything in sight._

Gaara snapped back to the present when he felt Sakura shift a little closer to him. He suppressed a growl. She wasn't making this any easier on him. Her pink locks reflected the flickering fire light and her pale face and large green eyes were so beautiful on her. He wanted to stroke her face and kiss her red lips that were in a small smile as she watched the movie. He put his arm behind her on the fireplace. She looked up at him with a questioning look. "I thought you would be more comfortable." She smiled.

"Thank you Gaara." She put her head back on his shoulder and nestled into his arm and side.

_"He's so warm and soft." "Hell yeah!" _Inner Sakura cheered from inside her. Sakura laughed inwardly. For once Inner had got her emotions to a tee. She felt herself slipping into a sleep her eyelids becoming heavy. Gaara looked down at Sakura whose eyes had closed. She had fallen asleep cuddled next to him. He smiled and thanked Kami for finally giving him a break. He carefully moved her head off of his shoulder and picked her up in his arms bridal style. "She will be more comfortable in her own bed." He carried her down the hall into her bedroom and laid her on the bed pulling the covers up and gingerly laying her head on the pillow. Her face was so peaceful and tranquil. Her pink hair strewn about the pillow and her hand resting nest to her face her head turned to one side. He couldn't help it he bent down and kissed her lightly on the head. "Goodnight Sakura-chan." He whispered and left. She smiled. She had heard everything and had proof that he liked her. "Goodnight Gaara-kun." She whispered smiling.

END OF CHAPTER 17! REVIEW! PLEASEEEEEEEEE I LOVE THE REVIEWS PLEASEEEEEEEE!


	17. Chapter 18

Saki-Hello fans and people who like this story (for some odd reason)

Kisame-They like it because you are a great writer Saki-san.

Saki-Thank you Kisame. Care to do the honors?

Kisame-Saki-san does not own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki-On to Chapter 18!

Chapter 18

Sakura stretched under the blankets her eyes fluttering open in confusion. She could have sworn someone was kissing her lips ferociously just a few minutes ago. Not just someone, but Gaara. _"You were dreaming about him." _Inner Sakura stated plainly. Sakura blushed and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She squealed at the cold floor and ran into the bathroom to draw a hot bath. The water was nice and warm and gave her goose bumps as she slid into it. She shivered and sank further into the water smiling and relaxing her muscles. It felt so good to be in the warmth and out of the cold. It reminded her of the night before and how warm Gaara was when they sat by the fire. She sighed Inner was right she really did like him. At least a little. She looked over to her clothes lying on the floor with her necklace he gave her lying on the top, the sand still swirling slowly in it. She laid her head on the back of the tub and sighed watching it swirl made her relax. It comforted her in an odd way. She realized that she had been in the bath for a while and that Gaara was probably already up. She sank into the water a little more and worked up the courage to leap out of the tub, grab her towel and dry off with minimal shivering. She pulled the plug in the tub and sprinted across her floor hopping from one foot to the other cursing the heating for shutting down. She tripped over her towel in her rush to get over to the dresser causing a rather loud thump as she fell. She stood up quickly and hoped Gaara didn't hear her. She grabbed her bra and underwear and put them on quickly shivering in the cold. She had just grabbed her usual red shirt when Gaara knocked on the door.

"Sakura? Are you ok? I heard a loud noise." He waited for an answer ready to attack if necessary.

"Oh I just bumped into something I'm fine." She blushed a little. "Thank goodness it was Gaara, Naruto or Lee would have just busted right in."

"Oh, ok good." She heard him say and then his footsteps walked away down the hall.

Sakura slid into a pair of long black leggings and a white medic-style skirt before walking out her door. She smelled something delicious and found Gaara in the kitchen with two bowls of miso soup in his hands. "I thought you would want something warm after your little adventure through the cold this morning." Sakura blushed she couldn't get away with lying to him at all. He didn't smile or laugh he just handed her the soup and sat down at the table.

"Thank you Gaara it looks delicious." She dug into it and smiled at him. It really did taste good. _"Who would have known that he would be a good cook?" _She glanced at the counter and saw a cookbook lying on the counter. She smiled again and looked at Gaara who was eating his own soup. He looked up at her with a curious almost challenging expression. She blushed and looked down. He growled quietly. 

_ "Again with the blushing and looking away! Shukaku I'm gonna have to make my move soon or I'll end up screwing everything up." _He heard Shukaku growl and knew that he shared his sentiments. He looked at Sakura who was still blushing as she ate her soup. He noticed that she was wearing his necklace under her shirt. He could see the small chain around her neck which obviously held the crystal beneath it. He smiled to himself and thought of the necklace that she gave him which was under his own shirt. "Sakura are you going to the hospital today?" She looked up and nodded.

"I can't stay away from my patients, especially the children." She smiled and stood up with her bowl. "The soup was delicious Gaara. Thank you very much." She smiled and set her bowl in the sink. He stood up as well and smiled a little.

"I am glad you liked it." he put his bowl in the sink as well and followed her to the door. She gave him a questioning look and he shrugged. "I might as well come with you and walk around." She nodded and grabbed her hat pulling it over her ears. He smiled to himself remembering when he put it on her head. "Sakura, how long will you be at the hospital?"

"About an hour Tsunade-sama can't catch me there so I have to leave early." She looked at Gaara as they walked out into the cold. He nodded again.

"Would you like to go back to the Cherry Blossom trees? I liked it there it was peaceful." He looked down at Sakura who smiled up at him.

"Sure Gaara I'll meet you at the bridge in an hour." She smiled and waved goodbye as she walked up to the hospital. He watched her go and walked down to the market. He walked past a small jewelry shop and saw a diamond ring that caught his eye. He walked inside and looked at it. It was large but not flashy or overpriced. It was set on a small gold ring. He asked the store owner about it and ended up buying it. "Planning ahead never hurt." He smiled to himself and walked down to the bridge. He leaned on the railing and fingered the ring. His traveling sand flowed from a special pouch in his pocket. It swirled out and did what his fingers bid it to do. Carefully he carved a cherry blossom into the gold along with her name. He smiled at his work and put it in his pocket. _"I've got about half an hour." _He sighed and watched people milling about the village rushing through the cold and into stores or restaurants. He smiled and thought about himself and Sakura holding hands as they walked through the village. He smiled as he felt her chakra move towards him. _"Looks like someone had to leave early today." _He smirked and waited for her leaning casually against the bridge. She walked up to him smiling when she saw him.

"Sorry I'm early but I got kicked out again." He nodded to her and she motioned toward the forest. "Are we going?" He nodded and smiled. "Race you there?" She grinned at him devilishly.

"You're on." He replied wanting more than ever to grab her and kiss her furiously. He was glad when they both went rushing across the snow her girly laugh filling the air. Gaara won again easily smirking as she panted. He was a little out of breath but it didn't bother him very much. She looked up at him panting.

"You…won…Gaara." She grinned and he smiled.

"I still haven't claimed my prize from last time so you owe me two favors now." He grinned and began to walk away with her following close behind. He knew how to get to the clearing and they both walked for a while in silence their breath swirling in the air in small white puffs. It was still snowing lightly and the clearing didn't look much different from the last time. Sakura smiled and jumped into the nearest tree shaking snow onto Gaara's red hair. She laughed at his expression calmly looking up at her. He brushed off the snow and made his sand knock off some snow above Sakura causing her to lose her concentration and fall into the snow below her.

He chuckled as she stuck her head out from the deep drift her green eyes full of a playful anger. Her pink hair was flecked in white from the snow falling quietly down. This was their own little piece of heaven. The snow was calming and romantic and the trees and clearing were beautiful in the winter air. He looked at her pale skin, blending in so well with the snow, her pink hair and green eyes adding color that seemed to be enhanced by the snow. He contemplated his own appearance thinking that he too probably was a sharp contrast to the pale colors of his surroundings. He was distracted by a flurry of snow flying towards him. He dodged it easily and grinned at Sakura's hands-on-hips pose and playful glare aimed towards him. "Missed me." He said simply. She laughed.

"That won't happen again." She aimed another cloud of snow at him and he laughed dodging it. He smirked and she laughed. "Come on lets enjoy the snow." She laughed again and ran out into the clearing giggling and jumping in the snow, her feet barely touching the ground. She looked over at Gaara and motioned for him to follow her. He stood still for a moment but he couldn't resist she was just so damn pretty! He walked out into the clearing and smiled as she twirled close to him giggling. She grabbed his arm and spun him around. Gaara's long dormant heart jumped a little and he smiled even wider. Her sweet scent filled his nostrils and he made a bold move of taking her hand which had slid down to his wrist. He spun her in a circle and she giggled.

_ "Who is this new Gaara? He's so gallant and gentle and kind!" _She looked at his face and smiled a small smile as he spun her. His red hair fell onto his face and had a style that fit his personality. His lips were pulled into a smile and his pale skin was a little darker than her own. His scar fit his face as perfectly as if it had always been there, but she knew from Temari that it had not. She looked at his eyes last knowing that she would get lost in them. The pale turquoise looked at her own green eyes and the black lining set it off perfectly. Those eyes were so full of hurt but held a deep passion. She wanted to get rid of that hurt. She wanted to make him forget it. She felt her heart swell as he took her other hand and they began to twirl across the snow in a slow dance, so much more natural than the dance at Tsunade's party. He held her close, but not too close, and stared into her eyes. She only looked away when he let her twirl away from him and then back.

He looked at her, a frail being in his arms; he knew that she was tough as nails, strong, and more than capable of fighting. Yet somehow she was delicate and small in his arms. He loved that she was tough he would never fall in love with a woman who was anything but tough. Yet looking at her now all he could see was beauty. Her pink hair held snowflakes and sparkled in the cold air. She smiled at him and then seemed to contemplate him as they danced. He couldn't tell if she was blushing or if the cold had turned her cheeks the lovely shade of pink that they were as he spun her around again. Her lips were enticingly calling to him as she analyzed him. Shukaku growled in his head and he listened to him.

_ "Go for it kid." _Gaara stopped Sakura and looked at her. She looked up at him with a surprised expression. He looked at her and smiled devilishly. He spun her down for a low dip causing her to giggle uncontrollably before he pulled her up and crushed his lips to hers. She froze in his arms but he didn't let her pull away. To his great surprise and happiness she returned the gesture nipping gently at his lip as the kiss intensified. She opened her lips to let his tongue explore hers. He pulled her closer not wanting to ever let go, his animalistic instincts wanting to take over and control her. She pulled away regretfully soon and her breath came in hot pants that swirled in the air. He smiled evilly and scooped her into his arms causing another fit of giggles. "I like you Sakura." He whispered. She smiled.

"I like you too Gaara." She knew that for him this was the deepest thing he had ever said to anyone and she cherished it. He set her down and looked up at the snow falling down. It really was magical.

END! :P SUSPENSE!

NEXT CHAPTERS ARE GONNA BE COMING UP A BIT FASTER BUT PLEASE REVIEW! I'M STARVED FOR REVIEWS PLEASE FEED ME!


	18. Chapter 19

Saki- Hey loyal reviewers and readers!

Shizune- And new readers!

Saki-Yes new readers as well! _We love new readers!_

Shizune- Saki doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 19

Sakura watched as Gaara smiled and watched the snow. She shivered weather from the cold or the pure adrenaline coursing through her veins she couldn't tell. Gaara looked down at her and took her hand. "Come on you're cold lets go." She didn't protest as he pulled her out of the clearing. She turned down her street and felt eyes on her as Gaara towed her through the street keeping her close to him. They came to her house and he opened the door for her looking around anxiously as he ushered her inside. She gave him a questioning glance as he pulled her to the fireplace and started a fire all without talking.

"Gaara? Are you alright?" She touched his arm carefully and he nodded.

"Someone recognized me and he was following us I'm just a little stressed it was probably nothing." She nodded but felt her ninja training kick in automatically scanning the house for foreign chakra signals. She found none but kept a search for any. Gaara was watching her carefully as she scanned the house. Her chakra pulled him towards her sending small jolts of electricity through his veins. He knew his chakra was reacting with hers and scanned the house as well just in case. "I think we are fine for now but I'll keep a watch for any chakra besides ours." Sakura nodded and poked at the newly formed fire with a poker.

"What did he look like? Just in case I need to identify him later." She looked up at Gaara her emerald eyes a bit darker. He nodded and identified him as a tall man with white hair and a scar across his eye and nose. She nodded and committed it to memory. She sighed. _"Romantic evening to stressful one thanks to some guy!"_ Inner hissed and Sakura shut her out. "It's kind of late I'm going to bed." She blushed and stood up smiling to Gaara. "Goodnight Gaara-san" She said and smiled before walking down the hall to her room. Gaara grinned and watched her leave. He followed her and sat outside of her room. If anyone tried to get to her through the house or in her room he would know it. He situated himself outside her door and listened as she hummed a song he knew well.

_"She's amazing Shukaku I never thought I could feel like this about anyone." _He smiled as he heard covers rustle and shut his eyes, his sand slipping under the door to guard her while she slept.

A spike in his sand made Gaara's eyes shoot open. He was on his feet and opening her door within a few seconds and quietly crept into her room. A figure moved through her window as Gaara hid in the shadows. He sent his sand over to the window and closed it when the person was inside. He quietly stepped out of the shadows and dodged a kunai sent towards him. His sand trapped the person and he carefully moved him out of the room. Gaara froze in the hallway. "Where is Sakura?" He growled to the figure wrapped in sand.

"I don't know! She wasn't there! My master sent me to get her! I swear she wasn't in the room when I went in! Please let me go! I won't ever come back!" The person was pleading, obviously realizing who he was dealing with was much stronger than him.

Gaara growled and threw him out the door into the street where two anbu who Gaara had summoned to watch Sakura's house picked him up and left. Gaara walked into the hallway to find Sakura standing with two men knocked out at her feet. She looked at Gaara a little terrified. Gaara sighed and grabbed her. "Are you ok?" He murmured. She nodded.

"They were horribly trained." She smirked and jumped out of his arms picking up a man and dragging him out the door to where the anbu were waiting for him. Gaara grabbed the other and did the same. "Why would he want me?" She said shivering as she shut the door to her house.

"To get to me. He saw me with you and figured kidnapping you would affect me." He shrugged and sighed. "I put you in danger." He looked at her with his teal eyes full of more hurt. She shook her head.

"I can take care of myself I don't care." She hugged Gaara and he put his arms around her waist as she pecked him on the lips and tried to jump away. He growled and grabbed her by the shirt.

"Where do you think you are going?" He crushed his lips to hers and pulled her close to his body. Shukaku's hormones raged their approval and he intensified the kiss his tongue and lips almost bruising hers. She returned the force as Gaara trailed kisses down her neck. She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. "Sakura." He murmured she pulled back and looked at him.

"Yes? What is it Gaara?" Her eyes glanced over his.

"Don't yell this might hurt." He traced a few kisses down her jaw before she could ask what he was talking about. He moved to her neck and bit down lightly. Her breath hitched and she looked at him oddly.

"A hickey?" She said bemused. He smiled.

"My own special kind." He smirked and hugged her before she slipped away to her room smiling seductively as he walked back to his post outside her door. He sighed. _"I hope that was the right choice to mark her without telling her." _He sighed again closing his eyes and reveling in the wonderful feeling running through him.

End of chapter! Sorry it's so short! REVIEWS! 3


	19. Chapter 20

Saki-Hey Guys! Guess what? I'm having my birthday party today! (My b-day was in August)

Kakuzu-Hehehe Happy late birthday kid!

Saki-Oh come on Kakuzu I'm not a kid!

Kakuzu-Whatever shorty. My little Koibito doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 20

"Why is my neck so sore?" Sakura sat up in her bed and rubbed her neck carefully before smiling. She remembered the night before and remembered what Gaara had said and done.

_The night before_

_Gaara trailed kisses down her neck. She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. "Sakura." He murmured she pulled back and looked at him._

_"Yes? What is it Gaara?" Her eyes glanced over his._

_"Don't yell this might hurt." He traced a few kisses down her jaw before she could ask what he was talking about. He moved to her neck and bit down lightly. Her breath hitched and she looked at him oddly._

_"A hickey?" She said bemused. He smiled._

_"My own special kind." He smirked and hugged her before she slipped away to her room smiling seductively as he walked back to his post outside her door._

"So it's a hickey. Hmmm." She stood up and walked over to the bathroom counter to look in the mirror. She pulled down her shirt and looked at the mark near the base of her neck. It looked almost like a kanji she smiled and shook the idea away. She shivered and shrugged. "Oh well he did say it was special whatever that meant." She smiled and walked out of the bathroom. She pulled on a long sleeved red dress and black stockings smiling at her reflection before walking down the hall. She found an empty kitchen and looked around for Gaara expecting him to be there. A plate of eggs was on the table with a note. She picked it up and read it.

_Sakura,_

_ I've gone to get some food and information on your attackers from Lady Tsunade. Please eat and stay inside. I will return shortly don't worry about anything you are safe. _

_ -Gaara _

Sakura smiled at his note and tucked it into her dress pocket before picking up the plate of eggs. She felt a slight pinch in her neck but decided not to heal it. "Gaara said it was special so I'll keep it." She smiled and ran a finger over it lightly. She could have sworn she felt it pulsate against her touch but she shook the idea off and began to eat. The eggs were heavenly and she smiled eating them quickly before going over to the living room. She had just sat down when she heard a knock on her door. It was Naruto's chakra so she stayed in the living room as she heard the door open and the blonde's voice fill the house.

"Sakura-chan? Are you here?" His face suddenly appeared around the corner as Sakura was enveloped in a bone crushing hug. "I heard about the attack you aren't hurt are you? We'll catch the guys who did this don't worry!" He hugged her again and she hit him on the head lightly causing him to let go of her.

"I'm fine Naruto. Don't worry you might as well stay here since you are so worried and I'm bored." He smiled his cheesy smile and leaned against her with his arm around her. She growled and he retracted his body from her but didn't put his arm down. Sakura rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. They were laughing at a show when Gaara's voice came from the door.

"Hello Naruto, Sakura. We have new news of the attackers. They are rouge ninja's that are working for Haru, a former sand ninja. They are level C shinobi and most of them are not even Chunnin." His eyes flicked to Naruto and his jaw got tighter as he saw his arm. Luckily for Naruto he decided to jump up and run out the door with a call of thanks and goodbye before the door slammed. Sakura laughed. Gaara merely sighed in relief. "Good now that he is gone good morning Sakura-san." He sat next to her and gave a small smile.

"Good morning Gaara-san." She returned the smile as his hand came to trace the mark on her neck. She giggled.

"Does it hurt?" he asked his eyes full of concern and his voice calm and gentle. She shook her head.

"No not at all." He nodded.

"Good…Sakura-san I should probably tell you this." He sighed he had been thinking about this all night. The guilt of not telling her she was his now was heavy on his shoulders and he didn't like it at all. She looked at him with a questioning glance as he continued. "The mark is actually a mating mark. It means that you are mine, marked as mine. It ties me to you and contains my chakra. I can feel when you get hurt and I can know where you are if I need to. It keeps you safe. You don't need to understand but just know it won't go away even if you heal it." Sakura's mouth fell open and she foundered for words.

"Mate? I'm your mate? Ok Gaara-san." She laughed and caught Gaara off guard. He growled.

"Sakura-san hold on to me and trust me." Sakura cocked her eyebrow but listened to him, after all she had no idea what was going on. Even Inner was in a stupor and wasn't helping at all. Sakura felt her feet being lifted off the ground and sand swirled around them as she felt her body being moved. She closed her eyes and hung on to Gaara. She heard his voice as if in a dream softly calling her name. She opened her eyes and looked up at his worried expression taking in their new surroundings. She smiled. They were at the Cherry Blossom trees again. "Sakura? Are you ok?" She nodded.

"I understand now Gaara it's like a bond right?" He nodded. He took her hands and led her to the clearing in a dance that told her that everything was alright and it was going to be ok. She smiled and breathed in his scent of sand and sun and his own sort of smell. He smiled and tilted her head towards his. He crushed his lips to hers and pulled her close to him their bodies flush with each other. She moved her arms around his neck and he cradled the back of her neck his lips hungrily begging for entrance with small nips and growls. She let his tongue I and fought back with her own causing him to growl with approval making her hold him tighter he pulled her to him and caressed her back with small gentle movements. She stroked his hair and let him pick her up in his arms never breaking their kiss. He carried her over to a bench and broke the kiss as she looked up at him panting heavily.

"Sakura-chan I think I'm falling for you." He smiled and she laughed.

"Gaara-kun I think I am falling for you too."

END OF CHAPTER 20! WOOT T_T AMAZING AWSOMNESS IN THIS CHAPTER YOU HAD BETTER REVIEW! OH AND I HAVE A NEW STORY! CHECK IT OUTTT LOYAL FANS AND TELL YOUR FWIENDS!


	20. Chapter 22

Saki- Heyyy guys! So I've been getting lots of reviews and I'm loving it!

Pein- If you keep reviewing you'll get rewarded.

Saki- Yep! I'm prepared to write more stories after 50 reviews

Pein- My Rini doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki- Your Rini? Since when did I ever…

Chapter 22

Sakura looked up at Gaara's turquoise eyes staring into her emerald ones. He had pulled her onto his lap and had his arms around her. "Gaara what is it?" She said quietly stroking his cheek. He smiled.

"Well Sakura-chan I wanted to know something." He said nuzzling her gently with his nose as he kissed her forehead. She giggled.

"Ok what was it you wanted to know?" She smiled up at him.

"Well I was wondering if I could talk to Tsunade about something rather important. I understand if you don't want me to go now." He said growling a little and squeezing her for a moment making her squeal and laugh. She was normally not like this but Gaara made her unhinge. She smiled and pressed her head into his chest soaking up his unique scent and warmth.

"Of course you can. We can go back to the house and I'll wait for a while as you talk to her." She smiled at him and he kissed her pink hair.

"Ok Sakura-chan as long as you stay inside and keep warm." He whispered softly before kissing her temple. "Come on let's get you out of the cold." He stood up with her in his arms and transported them back to her street. He walked up to her house and opened the door before setting her gently on the living room couch. "I'll be back soon." He kissed her again lightly then left. She sighed as he walked away and snuggled into the sofa missing his warmth.

Gaara jumped over the rooftops to the Hokage office smiling the whole way at the thought of what he was going to do. In his head Shukaku was growling happily. He never thought that he would be smiling over a girl or idea. He stopped outside of her tower door and walked in regaining his composure. He was here on official business after all. He straightened out his clothing and walked in to the tower office. Shizune was surprised to see Gaara walking into the office. She straightened up and walked over to him.

"Kazekage-sama, are you here to see Lady Tsunade?" She bowed and he nodded.

"I would like to see her on official business. Nobody should disturb us unless it is an emergency." Shizune's eyes grew wide as she nodded and walked quickly down the hall to Lady Tsunade's room. Gaara followed almost chuckling at her reaction.

_"She must think something has happened."_ Shukaku chuckled. _"Well something has happened." _Gaara smiled a little and then stopped as Shizune opened the door and announced that he was there to see her on official business. She nodded and he walked in.

"Shizune keep anyone away unless it is an emergency as you know." She nodded and shut the door. "So Kazekage-sama what is it?" She looked at him over her hands folded in front of her.

"Well I would like to join our villages in something stronger than a written alliance." Tsunade looked at him with curiosity.

"And what would be stronger than a written alliance?" Tsunade said raising and eyebrow. He almost chuckled. She knew exactly what he meant but wanted to hear him say it.

"Marriage to someone in your village." Her eyebrows raised even higher and she laughed sitting back in her chair.

"Well well Kazekage-sama I never saw you as a marrying type." She chuckled again and grinned at him. He managed a small smile.

"Well I did not see myself as that type until recently. I myself could never have even to begun imagining it." He smiled a little and she beamed.

"So who's the lucky girl?" She waggled her eyebrows and he smiled.

"You will have to wait and see Lady Tsunade, as I have not yet asked her. I was merely suggesting the alliance before I made any propositions as it concerns your village." She nodded.

"It was acceptable for you to do so but I do not see how it would make much of an impact as you have the choice to choose whoever you wanted from whatever village you wanted." She smiled and took a sip of sake. He nodded.

"You are correct of course but I still wanted to make sure." He stood and bowed. "If you would excuse me I have other business that I need to attend to. I would like to keep this confidential, meaning no one is to know except for us." She nodded and smiled.

"Good luck on your proposal Kazekage-sama." He smiled.

"Please call me Gaara." She nodded.

"Goodbye Gaara." He nodded and left the room shutting the door behind him and walking past the worried face of Shizune before walking out onto the balcony. He smiled and jumped across the rooftops racing back to Sakura. He opened the door to her house and silently crept into the living room. He wasn't surprised to see her smiling at him as he tried to sneak up on her.

"That was rather fast. What was the important business?" She said her jade eyes watching him as he sat next to her on the couch. She snuggled up to him and he grinned pulling her close.

"I'll tell you later." She nodded and he grinned back. "Would you like to put on a movie?" She nodded and put in a random movie not really caring what it was as long as she was snuggled up to Gaara. He put his arm back around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. They watched the movie in silence and once it ended got up to make dinner. He playfully teased her as she cooked ramen, stealing her spoon and kissing her on the cheek as she tried to pry it from him. She laughed and kissed him back before dishing out the ramen to the bowls and giving him his. They ate quickly and talked for a while afterwards. It was getting dark and the sun was just starting to set. Gaara stood up and washed off the bowls before turning to her.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" She smiled and nodded. Grabbing her coat and scarf as Gaara tugged a hat over her ears. She smiled and wrapped his scarf around his neck. They walked outside and smiled as they jumped the rooftops heading towards the bridge. He grinned and watched as she gracefully jumped to the ground. Nobody was outside as the snow swirled again gently falling. She smiled.

"It's just like Christmas Eve when you showed up on the bridge!" She smiled and looked at Gaara. "So why did you want to come here?" He smiled and stuck his hand in his pocket.

"Well I wanted to show you something and tell you about what I talked to Lady Tsunade about." Sakura nodded waiting to hear the news and absentmindedly reaching for her black fighting gloves. He took her hand and held it in his and she looked at him a little confused. "Sakura-chan…" She smiled.

"Yes Gaara-kun what is it? Do I need to get to the hospital and help?" She looked over his shoulder looking to see if there were ninja's going to help defend something or fight. He chuckled.

"That's one of your many great qualities Sakura-chan. Your ability to want to constantly help. You are a very strong person and always get done what has to be done." She smiled a little and looked back at him before going back to scanning the rooftops.

"Thank you Gaara-kun." He grinned and took a deep breath.

"Sakura-chan." He got down onto one knee and pulled out the ring as she looked back at him. Her eyes grew wide and he swore he saw them sparkle. "Would you do me the honor of marrying me?" His turquoise eyes looked up at her and for once the hurt was almost completely gone. She caught her breath back and her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes Gaara-kun I will marry you." He smiled and slid the ring onto her finger before catching her in a tight embrace kissing her furiously. She kissed him back her tears sliding down his cheeks as she laughed a little. He smiled and gently caressed her back with his hands.

"Haruno, Sakura, I will love you forever and always." He whispered to her softly in her ear. She laughed a little her voice catching.

"Sabaku no Gaara, I love you forever and always." She smiled and he kissed her again as the snow fell covering them in its gentle flakes.

END OF CHAPTER 22! PLEASE REVIEW I WANT TO SEE THESE REVIEWS SOOOO BAD!


	21. Chapter 23

Saki- Wellll I know what you must be thinking…

Konan- You guys think that this is the end of the story.

Saki- You couldn't be more wrong this is just the beginning Mwahahahaha!

Konan- Keep reading! Anyways she doesn't own Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 23

Gaara pulled his head back and looked at Sakura. She couldn't have looked more perfect. Her pink hair blew softly from under her hat and her eyes sparkled with tears and joy. She laughed again and he held her in his arms as she put her head on his shoulder. He breathed in her sweet scent and swept her off of her feet and into his arms bridal style. She laughed again and slid her arms around his neck. He smiled and kissed her lightly before jumping onto the nearest rooftop. She looked at him and smiled again. His red hair blew in the wind and his turquoise eyes no longer held any hurt that was visible on the surface. She smiled again and hugged him a little tighter. He jumped down onto the street and opened the door to her house. He carried her inside and kissed her again before smiling.

"Sabaku no Sakura." He smiled and kissed her neck. "I like the sound of that." She smiled and kissed his jaw.

"I like it too." She smiled up at him with her gorgeous emerald eyes sparkling. He carried her to the living room couch and set her down before sitting next to her. She smiled at him and he pulled her into his lap. She giggled and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and took in her sweet scent as her pink hair lay softly on his chest. He closed his eyes and wondered how much more perfect it could possibly get.

"Sakura-chan don't ever go away please." He whispered quietly to her and she smiled and closed her eyes as well.

"I won't Gaara-kun. I promise that I won't." He smiled and looked at her.

"We have to keep this a secret for a while is that ok with you?" His turquoise eyes examined her own and he waited for an answer.

"Of course I will act like usual but I can't promise that I can do that all of the time." She smiled and her eyes sparkled devilishly in the light of the fire that had been burning slowly for a while. He smirked and brought his hand up to trace her face. His eyes searched her facial features and he took in every bit of her milky skin before smiling.

"I don't expect you to, I know I won't." She smiled and kissed him softly. He slid his hand to the back of her hair and pulled her closer. She smiled and kissed him back. Growling a little he nipped at her lip. She smiled and nipped him back. He trailed his kisses down her jaw line feather light and gentle. He treated her like a delicate flower, his delicate flower. He smirked and kissed the mark on her neck. "You'll have to hide this mark." He licked it gently and she kissed his scar. He smiled a little when he noticed her mark was the same as his scar. _"The Kanji for love how fitting."_

"I know maybe you can help me find something to wear over it." She smiled and stood up making Gaara pout a little. She laughed and grabbed his hand. He smiled and stood up to follow her. She walked down the hall to her room and looked in her closet for a scarf or turtle neck.

"Hmm you could wear a high collar shirt." Gaara said smiling and grabbing a shirt with a collar and buttons that was red with a white stripe.

"I don't look good in that shirt though." She said simply and continued digging. He smirked and grabbed her hand. She looked up at him curiously and put her hand on her hip.

"Try it on and I'll be the judge." He said smiling and handing her the shirt. She smiled and took it into the bathroom to try on. He sat in the chair near her desk and waited. A few minutes later she opened the door and walked out.

"So what do you think?" She spun in a slow circle and he grinned.

"It looks amazing on you." He stood and hugged her before looking back at her outfit. It was gorgeous on her and he liked it.

"Does it cover the mark? I forgot to check." He looked at her neck and nodded. She smiled. "I'll wear it tomorrow then thank you Gaara-kun." She smiled and kissed his cheek. He smiled as she went back to change into her other shirt. He grinned and grabbed her waist.

"Don't you want your pajamas? We can sit by the fire for a while if you want." He smiled and held up her sweat pants and pajama top. She smiled and took them in her hand.

"That sounds nice Gaara-kun. I'll be there in a minute." She smiled and walked back into the bathroom. He walked out and down the hall smiling.

_"Shukaku I can almost hear you rolling your eyes at that. I know I never ever thought I would be helping anyone but Temari pick out clothes. You are just gonna have to get over it." _He chuckled as Shukaku growled. He opened the door to his room and shut it before pulling on a black shirt and a pair of his usual black pants. He walked back to the living room and sat on the couch waiting for Sakura. He smiled and thought back to her face when she said yes. It was the happiest memory he had. She was going to be his. Nobody would ever hurt her again he would make sure of that. He smiled and got up to stoke the fire. The embers glimmered and he blew on them lightly causing them to stir and ignite the fire much like she had done to his heart. It was like a spark that had turned to a raging fire thanks to a little bit of encouragement._ "ou mean a lot of encouragement." _Shukaku growled. He chuckled. He was right he had been so stubborn and insistent that he didn't want anything to do with her that he had almost prevented the greatest thing of his life from happening. All it took was two weeks for him to fall hopelessly in love with her. He stood up and frowned a little. _"She's taking quite a while." _ He looked down the hall and saw her door open. He smiled and walked back to the couch and sat down.

"Sorry about the wait Gaara-kun. I couldn't get the stupid drawstring to work." She sat down then blushed at her comment. "That probably sounded really lame." He shook his head.

"I don't mind." She smiled and leaned on him. "I like it simple and easy like you do. I've never been happier then when I am with you. I love you Sakura-chan." She smiled and snuggled up to him.

"I love you too Gaara-kun." He put his arm around her shoulders and laid his head on hers as they watched the fire crackle. "Gaara-kun Lady Tsunade sent me a note." He looked at her with a slight furrow in his brow.

"What was it about?" He was worried. Was Konoha in danger? Was Sakura in danger?

"She needs me for a mission tomorrow. I am going alone to find a hideout of a rogue group. She will send backup once I have found it and I will then act as a medic for the team. There are no anbu available right now so I was the best choice. I don't want to leave you here." She buried her head in his chest and hugged him. "I'll be back within three days and I'll be safe I promise!" He rubbed her back and hugged her.

"Who says I can't go with you?" He smiled and she looked up at him. "I'll meet you in the forest and we'll go together. Tsunade won't know and If she does I acted of my own accord." She smiled and hugged him.

"You'll have to disguise yourself so the others don't know." He nodded.

"I can do that. If it means that I can keep you safe I'll do anything." He smiled and kissed her head. She snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes. He picked her up and carried her to her room laying her on the bed and standing up to leave. He felt a hand grab his shirt and turned to see her emerald eyes watching him.

"Stay please." Her tired gaze watched his reaction and he smiled.

"Ok Sakura-chan I'll stay." He walked over to the other side of the bed and laid down. She pulled the covers up around his shoulder and curled up next to him smiling.

"Goodnight Gaara-kun I love you." He smiled and put his arm around her.

"Goodnight Sakura-chan I love you too." He closed his eyes and smiled._ "Nothing could ever be more perfect than today."_

END OF CHAPTER 23! REVIEWSSSSSS PLEASEEEE!


	22. Chapter 24

Saki- We're back!

Jiraya- Yes we are.

Saki- Just say it and get out of my house.

Jiraya- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki- Get out or I'll make you get out.

Chapter 24

Gaara opened his eyes and blinked at the small beeping noise coming from the nightstand he furrowed his brow and frowned a little. "Stupid thing." He mumbled and hit the button to shut it off. He felt a small weight on his other arm and rolled over to look at her. He smiled. Her hair was strewn about her face as she slept her steady, quiet breathing was calming. He sighed and stroked her hair gently. She shifted a little and moved closer to him making him smiled even more. He didn't want to wake her but knew he had to. She was just too cute when she slept. _"Well I will get to sleep next to her for the rest of my life." _He smiled at the thought and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Good morning blossom." She smiled and stirred a little opening her emerald eyes to look at him.

"Good morning Gaara-kun how did you sleep?" She yawned a little and put her arm around his neck.

"Very well thank you." He kissed her forehead and smiled looking at her with his turquoise eyes. He stopped smiling and moved to toy with her hair. "The mission is today." She sighed.

"Yeah I know. I have to get ready." She looked up at him and he sighed as well.

"At least I'll be with you. We should probably get ready so I can get a head start to the place where I will be meeting you." She nodded. Neither of them moved and Gaara smiled. "I don't want to go either but we have to." She gave him a small half smile.

"Oh well we'll be back soon this shouldn't take very long at all." She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. He kissed her back and then watched as she sat up and stretched. He smiled and watched her get up and pull out her medic shorts and skirt along with her gloves and headband that were lying on the nightstand. Gaara jumped up, handing her the shirt that they had picked out the night before with her yellow winter travel cloak that all Konoha ninja's had. She smiled and kissed his cheek before going into the bathroom to change. He walked out of the room and into his own. He slid on a pair of his black pants with a long sleeved black shirt and red strap over vest. He sighed as he grabbed a pouch full of sand and his kunai holder. Strapping the pouch to his back and the kunai holder to his hip. Lastly he grabbed an extra Konoha traveling cloak that was hanging in the guest room closet. He slipped a mask onto the top of his head and walked out of the room and to the door. She stood there waiting and smiled at him.

"Ready?" He smiled and nodded.

"I'll be waiting at the Cherry Blossom Trees." She smiled and he looked at her neck where the necklace he gave her hung above her clothes. He smiled and held it in his palm. She looked down and smiled as well. He pulled the necklace she gave him out from under his shirt and let it rest on his chest. She smiled and looked up at him.

"I'll be careful." She whispered. He nodded.

"I know." He bent down and kissed her deeply before opening the door and jumping up onto the rooftops watching as she moved towards the Hokage tower to report for her mission. He pulled down his mask and moved quickly to the bridge. He needed to be swift to make sure no one saw him. Once he got there he transported quickly to the edge of the woods. He disappeared into the trees and jumping swiftly across them to the Cherry Blossom Tree clearing. He jumped up into one of the larger pine trees on the outskirts of the clearing and waited. About fifteen minutes later her chakra signal was in the clearing. He jumped down and smiled at her. She grinned and walked up to him.

"We are going to a village about a day north of here. We can make good time if we hurry. From there we have to investigate and gather information on the group and find their hideout. Then we send a message for backup." He nodded and lifted up the mask. She smiled. "By the way nice choice picking a mask with very simple markings. If anyone asks I can say you were a ninja that I requested as an escort."

"I knew that the simpler the mask the easier it is to blend in." He smiled and slid the mask back down. The mask had two red stripes on the cheeks and a red circle on the forehead. Sakura smiled and motioned towards the forest.

"Let's see if we can't get there faster than they say we can." He smiled and held out his hand. She smiled and took it in her own. They jumped into the trees and set off at a fast pace. Gaara held tight to her hand and put his hood up. She pulled her hood up as well and continued jumping from the trees. They had snow on them and were a bit slippery but they were making great time. Sakura looked at Gaara and he nodded from behind the mask. "We should be getting to a town here soon we can go on foot from there to get a better view at our surroundings. I feel no other chakra movements." She said looking ahead. He nodded again and squeezed her hand.

"We can get a room at an Inn in the town we are supposed to be staying in. We need a story for being there." She nodded and he looked at her.

"Well the newlywed's story always seems to work." She said and blushed.

"We will be newlyweds soon anyways." She looked over at him and he scooped her into his arms never breaking his stride across the trees.

"Gaara don't slow us down!" She said playfully hitting him on the arm. He chuckled and lifted his mask a little kissing her quickly and stopping to set her down. She smiled and took his hand again. He slid his mask back down and they continued on their way. Soon the trees began to thin and they jumped onto the ground. She stopped and turned her cloak inside out so only the black lining showed so that the leaf symbol was hidden on the inside. Gaara did the same smiling at her. The cloaks were obviously meant for covert op missions. She smiled and they continued on. They walked casually on the ground for a while until they reached the small town that lay about an hour from the town they were going to be staying at. Gaara looked around the town and noticed people staring at him. He forgot that it would probably be weird to see someone wearing a mask walking casually around a town unless they were there on a mission or for a specific purpose. He looked at Sakura and saw that she had noticed it too. She smiled and pulled him towards a medic shop. She walked inside and he followed. The lady at the counter smiled as she walked in and lessened her smile when she saw Gaara's mask. Sakura didn't falter and walked right up to the counter smiling.

"Hello I was wondering if you have any bandages. My husband and I were attacked on the way here by an animal and I would like to bandage his injuries. He saved me from it. The animal got his face pretty badly." She looked at Gaara and hung on his arm like a concerned wife. The lady must have thought his mask was to cover the injuries and gave him a compassionate look.

"Oh you poor things! Of course we have plenty of bandages and some ointment too." She walked over to a shelf and got down a bunch of bandages and ointment. She smiled kindly at them and Sakura gave her the money.

"Thank you." Sakura said and the woman smiled.

"I wish you a speedy recovery! Let me know if you need anything else while you are here in town!" Sakura smiled at her and she waved. Gaara turned to Sakura and they walked out of the store.

"Remind me again why we have bandages?" He said quietly. Sakura smiled at him and kept walking down the street.

"Well it gave us a good story and a reason for you to have a mask on without arousing too much suspicion. If anyone comes looking for us or gets suspicious that lady can help with our cover story by telling them the poor sob story of the young couple that got attacked." Gaara nodded and kept walking. They walked out of the town and kept walking towards the next one. The road was quiet with no other travelers on it. Gaara looked down at Sakura and smiled behind the mask. 

_"Soon we won't have to pretend to be married. I cannot wait for that time."_ Sakura looked around and sent out a quick scan of the area with her chakra. Gaara put a hand on her arm and she looked up at him. "There's no need I have my sand checking. We'll be fine." She nodded and smiled. The town was in sight and they were arriving ahead of schedule. He took her hand again and they walked through the town to the small Inn that lay hidden in the outskirts of the northern edge. The wind was bitter and the snow had started to swirl down again causing Sakura to shiver. Gaara put his arm around her shoulder and brought her inside the Inn. They really did look like a couple blown in by the storm. Gaara walked with Sakura up to the counter and got them a room. She smiled and walked down the hall to the room. Gaara opened the door and they walked inside. It was small; a single queen bed lay in the middle of the room with a bathroom attached and a sofa next to a TV in the corner of the room. Sakura stretched and walked over to the bed sitting down on it and smiling. Gaara took off his mask and came over to sit next to her. She smiled and he took her hand moving the ring around on her finger.

"Tomorrow we can gather information by listening to the townspeople and then try to scout out the area a little bit." He looked up at her and she nodded.

"We can get a good feel of the land and see if there are any possible locations of the rouge's hideout. Then we can investigate the day after." She smiled and took the traveling cloak off hanging it on a peg near the door. Gaara took his off as well and grabbed her arm as she turned around. He pulled her close and spun her around making her laugh. He gave her light butterfly kisses down her neck. She kissed his jaw and made him smile as he held her close. They stood there for a moment just breathing each other's scent and smiling as they held each other. Gaara pulled back and kissed her softly and sweetly. She answered just as kindly and gently moved her lips with his. He nipped her lip softly and she opened her mouth letting his tongue explore her own. She broke the kiss smiling and blushing a little as his eyes looked over her face kindly. She loved those eyes. Turquoise and beautiful, rimmed with black setting them off perfectly. He looked at her own eyes and got lost in the rich emerald. They both smiled and sat back down on the bed. He kissed her pink hair and she smiled. His fingers delicately traced her features and all he could think was, _"She's mine forever and always."_

END OF CHAPTER 24! REVIEWSSSSSSS!


	23. Chapter 25

Saki- Hey guys thanks for the reviews!

Gaara- Saki-chan loves the reviews.

Saki- Yes indeed.

Gaara- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 25

Sakura blushed as Gaara traced her features. He smiled and his gorgeous eyes ran over every curve of her face. She giggled when he traced her nose. "Adorable nose." he kissed it and she giggled again. "Gorgeous eyes." He kissed each eyelid and she laughed again. He smiled and ran his thumb over her lips. "The most beautiful lips in all of Konoha, no I'm wrong, the most beautiful lips in the whole world." He cupped her face and kissed her sweetly and gently on her beautiful pink lips. He pulled back and looked at her again. "My Sakura-chan." She giggled and traced his scar.

"My Gaara-kun." He smiled and picked her up cradling her to his chest. He set her down on the bed and climbed into his side. She smiled and slid close to him laying her head on his chest. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her keeping her warm and safe in his embrace. Outside the snow fell in large flakes. The wind howled and swirled around the small Inn. Sakura shivered a little at the cold air in the room and snuggled into Gaara's warm figure. He held her close and stroked her hair gently. She smiled and closed her eyes. "Goodnight Gaara-kun." He smiled and kissed her head.

"Goodnight Sakura-chan." He closed his eyes as well his sand patrolling the room. Her soft breathing against his chest and the weight of her head resting on him lulled him into a sense of security and serenity. Sakura smiled again and felt the warmth of his body next to hers his arms holding her to his larger figure protecting her and giving her warmth. Sakura's mind was no longer focused on the mission. He was like a relaxing pill. Normally on missions like this she would be antsy and uneasy sleeping. Now with Gaara's strong arms around her, her worries seemed to melt away. She smiled again and let herself succumb to the powerful urge to sleep.

_She opened her eyes to see herself in her room lying on her bed. Inner sat next to her smiling happily. _

_"Aw how adorable! I can't believe we are engaged to this hotty! We did good Ino-pig is going to be sooo jealous! Especially since Choji hasn't even asked her out yet!" Inner chimed in breaking Sakura's quiet thoughts. She smiled at her for once she agreed with Inner. Inner loved to talk to her in her dreams and Sakura was already expecting to see her._

_"I can't wait to see her reaction too but I think I'm going to wait for people to notice."Inner rolled her eyes at this throwing a pillow at her. _

_"Fine I understand that but come on let's get her to notice first!" Inner whined. Sakura crossed her arms and laid back on the bed in her dream. _

_"Inner, no. We don't know how this will affect the Suna and Konoha relationship. Gaara-kun is the Kazekage after all and I am the Hokage's apprentice. It will be a big shift for either one of us to leave our village. Especially because I will never ever give up being a ninja unless I have a very good reason to." She looked at Inner who sighed and nodded. _

_"Logical and sound reasoning as usual. I know that it's a big deal. Besides we both know that we are going to be happy and that is really what matters. Since that has been guaranteed we can focus more on the external affects of this." Inner said nodding and settling down. Sakura smiled._

_"I knew you could be reasonable sometimes Inner." She smiled and Inner threw another pillow at her. _

_"Oh just get back to our fiancé!" She smiled and Sakura smiled back as Inner faded away. She felt herself slipping into another place. It was warm and she was laying on something soft. She felt something cool brush against her face and a sweet scent fill her nostrils. She opened her eyes and saw a blue sky with white clouds. She sat up and noticed that she was in a field, the grass brushing gently against her legs. She smiled and ran her hand through its soft tufts. The breeze that blew gently on her skin was a warm summer breeze and it made her smile. A Cherry Blossom tree stood behind to her left its petals blowing off in the breeze. She watched as one landed next to her. She smiled and picked it up before seeing a shadow come over her. She turned and looked up to find Gaara standing above her his eyes gazing softly and lovingly at her. She smiled and he did as well sitting next to her. She was confused as to if they were married yet and where she was but she was happy she was there. _

_"Sakura-chan I knew I'd find you here." He smiled and took the blossom from her hand placing it behind her ear. He smiled and took her hand. "Naruto said that you had returned from your mission. I'm sorry I did not meet you at the gate. I missed you so much." He kissed her head and she smiled. _

_"So I just got back from a mission. I'm guessing Naruto is the Hokage so this must be in the future. Ok well that's good this is nice." She liked this dream. He ran his fingers over her hand and kissed each one. She giggled and he looked up at her with a smirk. "How are you feeling Blossom?" She smiled._

_"I feel fine. I'm happy you are here it's so pretty." She gestured to the beautiful green grass and the Cherry Blossom tree next to them. He looked out where she pointed and then back to her. _

_"I'm glad you feel well I was so worried. I talked to Naruto and he agreed with me that you can't go on any more missions. I'm sorry but I can't have you guys getting hurt." He looked at her apologetically and Sakura became confused. _

_"No missions? Wait you guys?" She thought. Sakura felt a small hit coming from her abdomen and looked down to see a definite bump sticking out between her hips. "Wait I'm pregnant?" She thought alarmed. She used her chakra to scan it and Gaara watched as she put her glowing green hand over her bump and monitored it. Her eyes became wide and she dropped her hand. Gaara's face became a mixture of worry and pain. He took her hand in his and put his arm around her shoulder. _

_"Sakura-chan what is it what's wrong?" His tone was urgent and alarmed. She turned to him and saw it in his eyes and facial features. She looked at his eyes and burst into tears. "Sakura! What is it? Are you ok? Is the baby ok?" He pulled her closer to him and gently hugged her. She nodded and smiled through her tears as he held her in his arms. He pulled back and looked at her confused and worried. She laughed and put her hands back on her belly. _

_"I'm fine we are both fine. I'm just so surprised and happy!" She smiled and laughed again through the tears still rolling down her face. Gaara looked more confused but less worried. _

_"Ok so what is it what's wrong?" He looked at her green eyes and she smiled. _

_"Nothing I'm just so happy." She smiled and he did as well laughing and pulled her close. She lay her head on his shoulders. He gently wiped away her tears. _

_"I am too Sakura-chan I love you more than anything and I'm so happy to be with you." Sakura smiled and took Gaara's hand he looked down as she put it on her belly. He watched his hand and she did as well as a small bump came from inside her belly. She beamed proudly and he smiled kissing her gently as the breeze blew softly through their hair._

Sakura felt herself coming back to consciousness as someone called her name softly. "Sakura-chan." She opened her eyes and saw Gaara lying next to her with his arms wrapped around her. "Good morning Blossom. Are you ready for the mission? Today we have to do a search and gather information if possible." Sakura nodded and kissed his cheek he smiled and leaned in to kiss her gently. "Did you sleep well?" She nodded.

"I had the best dreams last night." He smiled and kissed her jaw.

"What about?" She smiled.

"I'll tell you later." He laughed and ran his hand down her face.

"Well then I will have to resort to drastic measures." He grinned devilishly and pulled out a feather sticking out of the pillow he was lying on. He smirked and Sakura shot up.

"No please Gaara!" He grinned and twisted it in his fingers.

"Oh dear we aren't afraid of a little feather are we?" He growled a little playfully and walked around the bed to her side. She laughed and jumped swiftly away from him. He countered her move and caught her arm. She struggled playfully and he growled smiling before tickling her with the feather.

"Hahahah-Gaara-kun no- hahahaha- stop!- Hahaha That tickles!" Sakura laughed and Gaara smiled still tickling her as she struggled to get away. "I'm-Hahaha-serious!" He smiled and continued to tickle her.

"Well now do you surrender?" He smiled and whispered in her ear. She was still laughing and she shook her head.

"Never!" He smiled and stopped tickling her. She was spun around to face him and before she could break free he had crushed his lips to hers. She melted at his kiss and he grinned as he pulled away.

"You'll tell me later right?" She nodded as he smiled. "Good."

END OF CHAPTER 25! REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS!


	24. Chapter 26

Saki- Hey faithful readers and those of you that are joining us for the first time!

Sakura- Hello everyone!

Saki- Hey Sakura can you do the honors?

Sakura- Sure Saki! She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 26

Sakura laughed as Gaara let go of her and grabbed his mask before pulling out a map of the area. He laid it out on the bed and Sakura looked at it. "So we are in this Inn." Sakura pointed to the Inn on the map before tracing a road through the town. "We can go into stores and listen to people talk. Then we can meet up here at around eleven. Then we can scout out the surrounding areas based on the information we will obtain." Gaara nodded focusing on the mission instead of her.

"We will need a reason to be in the stores." He said and Sakura smiled.

"We can be shopping for clothes. We didn't bring any spares and it would look more believable if we had civilian clothing as well as the clothes we came here in. Besides people would get suspicious if we wore only traveling cloaks and my medic skirt could be recognized by another ninja." Gaara nodded and stood up.

"We should walk into town together and then split up to make our story more believable." Sakura nodded and subconsciously fiddled with her engagement ring that still lay on her finger. She smiled and walked over to the door. Gaara followed and they walked out of their room and down the hall to the lobby.

"Good morning! Are you two heading out?" The Innkeeper called smiling kindly to them.

"Yes we are going to look around the town." Sakura said smiling. The Innkeeper nodded and smiled back.

"Bundle up it's quite a blizzard out there!" Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Thank you we will!" She smiled and waved to her as she walked out the door with Gaara holding her hand. The Innkeeper was right, the snow stung their cheeks as they stepped into it and Sakura pulled her hood up around her face to try to keep it from hitting her. Gaara did the same trying his best to shield Sakura from the harsh wind. They hurried to the town parting ways and walking into separate clothing stores. Sakura didn't exactly know what store she walked into but was just glad to get out of the harsh snow. She looked up and saw a sign above one of the counters. "Lingerie half price! Sleepwear and pants 30% off! Sale on all clothing!" She blushed at the mention of lingerie but was happy that she walked into a female clothing store. Even happier that it was all on sale. There was a girl at the counter with black hair and a kindly face. She smiled at Sakura and walked over to her.

"Hello my name is Ayumi can I help you find anything?" She smiled and Sakura nodded.

"My husband and I were just married and I wanted some new clothing for traveling. We were attacked by an animal on the way here and our clothing was shredded." Ayumi's face softened and she took Sakura's hand.

"Oh you poor thing! Of course I can help you find some clothing!" She took Sakura over to a changing room and told her to sit down. "I will bring you some clothes I think you might like." Sakura told her thank you and sat on the couch in the changing room. Ayumi soon returned holding a bundle of clothing in her hands. She handed Sakura the clothes and sat outside of the changing room while Sakura tried them on. The clothing was simple, some sweaters and long sleeved shirts. Some other shirts had shorter sleeves with a style that Tenten would have liked. Ayumi praised each one she tried on and pushed her into the dressing room exclaiming she had more things for her to try. Sakura laughed at her enthusiasm and waited for her to return. She did a few moments later with a huge bundle of red and a smaller bunch of what appeared to be lace. Sakura didn't get a good look at it though for Ayumi asked her to pull off her top and made her step out of her pants. Sakura shivered blushing a little as she stood there in her plain black underwear and sports bra that was standard Kunoichi handouts. She mumbled something that Sakura didn't quite catch because Ayumi had yanked the mass of red over Sakura's head. When she got it on Ayumi gasped. Sakura noticed that it was a beautiful floor length dress of the perfect shade of red silk. She turned and faced the mirrors and gasped herself.

"Oh Ayumi it's gorgeous!" She exclaimed looking at it.

Ayumi beamed and tied the sash around the waist into a bow at the back. The bow settled onto small ruffles the ran down the back of the dress. The silk hugged her skin and caressed it showing off her curves and exquisitely toned body. Her regular clothing certainly never did THAT. The dress had a V neck cut that made Sakura regret having only sports bras as it showed only the sports bra and ruined a bit of the look. There was a slit in the side of the dress that had ruffles along its edge with the slit ending near her knee. The sleeves were off the shoulder and showed her milky white skin and neck against the bright red of the dress perfectly. Sakura caught her breath when she saw the mark Gaara gave her on her neck obviously visible. She could see that it was the Kanji for love and couldn't help but wonder how he managed to do that. She started to panic for fear Ayumi would see it.

_"Inner help what do I do?" _Sakura pleaded looking around her as Ayumi fixed the back of her dress. Inner pointed out a black strip of lace lying next to her on the couch and Sakura quickly grabbed it tying it around her neck in a bow covering her mark. Ayumi turned her around the minute she finished tying it.

"Oh that's a wonderful addition to the look! It sets it off perfectly!" She looked her up and down and frowned at the sports bra. "Now about that bra and those boring panties…" Sakura looked at her as she picked up the mass of multicolored lace. She realized that it was actually a bunch of lingerie. Ayumi picked up a lacy bra and held it up to Sakura. "Put this on and we will be able to see the dress' true beauty." She walked out of the room and left Sakura staring at the lacy garment she held in her hand. She gulped and took off her sports bra sliding the new bra on in its place. She pulled the dress back over her shoulders and noticed the difference. It really did look better.

"Ayumi you are right it does look better." Ayumi smiled and came back into the room to talk to her more about spicing up her love life with the lingerie they had making Sakura blush heavily. She blushed even more when Ayumi held up a black corset with red ribbon ending in a bow that would rest on her chest. The matching panties had lace on the edges and were boy shorts. At least it covered everything. Sakura nearly passed out when Ayumi told her to try it on. She pushed them into Sakura's hands and left her in the changing room. Now Sakura wasn't afraid of most things but this crossed the line. She lifted up the corset and took a steadying breath as she took off the red dress. She slid off her black bra and undid the laces on the corset before putting it on. It was skin tight but not uncomfortable. It pushed up her breasts and gave them more volume. She tied the ribbon and slid on the boy shorts. She looked at herself in the mirror and gasped.

_"DAMN! WE LOOK HOT!" _Inner shouted pumping her fist. Sakura was blushing furiously as Ayumi stuck her head back in the room.

"Oh wow! You look gorgeous!" She smiled and clapped her hands together. Sakura blushed as Ayumi circled her. "You will definitely make your husband happy in this!" She smiled as Sakura blushed even more. Ayumi shook her head and smiled. "Yep you are definitely getting this!" She smiled and left Sakura to change back into her regular clothes. Sakura pulled on her sports bra and panties before sliding on her red high collar shirt and taking off the lace around her throat that was still covering the mark. When she had finished getting dressed she pulled back on her cloak and brought her clothes to the register. Ayumi smiled and began to ring them up Sakura took this opportunity to get some information.

"So Ayumi is this area considered safe? Are there any gangs around here?" Ayumi looked at her and smiled a little.

"Well there is a rumored gang around here but they don't bother us much. We don't really talk about it but they have never hurt anyone from town." She smiled at Sakura and nudged her. "If you are thinking of settling down here find a house in the upper district." She winked and Sakura nodded smiling.

_"Hmm so there is a gang around here that confirms it. Also she said they have never hurt anyone from town which makes me think that they have probably hurt an outsider before." _She smiled as Ayumi gave her the bags of clothes and wished her luck with her new life. Sakura called her thanks and paid for the clothes before walking out into the bone chilling storm. She looked at the time and saw it was only ten thirty. She could get back to the hotel and hide the lingerie and dress in a scroll before Gaara got back. She sprinted through the town, the snow stinging her cheeks and making her skin feel like it was on fire. She walked into the hotel and pulled down her hood shaking her hair a little as droplets fell from her bangs. Her clothes were still dry concealed in the plastic bags they were being carried in. Her cloak was made for keeping out snow and rain so she was dry as well. She nodded to the lady at the front desk and walked down the hall to her room. She hid the lingerie and dress in a scroll and was just hiding them in her bag when she heard a chuckle from the other side of the room. She jumped up and saw Gaara grinning as he leaned against the wall.

"Did you find everything you needed?" He said smirking. She nodded.

"I also got some information. What about you?" He smiled and held up a bag full of clothes.

"I got some information as well." She smiled and he grinned.

"Well you go first then I'll tell you what I found out." She sat down on the edge of the bed and he sat next to her.

"Our suspicions are confirmed there is a gang in the area. She also said that they have never hurt anyone from town which makes me believe that they have made an example from outsiders. From the way she was avoiding the subject they probably have threatened to kill or hurt anyone who reveals them." Gaara nodded.

"I got pretty much the same information but he let it slip that the Northern woods is not a safe area for settling down. It might be a good place to start." He smiled as Sakura nodded. "So what were you doing when I walked in that you didn't want me to see? Or did I just startle you." Sakura sweat dropped and waved her hands in front of her.

"Oh nothing just organizing! You just startled me!" She smiled and he smirked.

_"Add that to the list of things to remember Shukaku, she is a very bad liar."_

END OF CHAPTER 26! SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I'VE BEEN SO BUSY!


	25. Chapter 27

Saki- Hey guys I'm trying to update faster now.

Guren- Faster meaning a day or two after you posted the last chapter?

Saki- Hehehe yeah I guess for now that's what I'm doing.

Guren- She does not own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 27

"So do you want to start looking in the forest today?" Sakura said standing up and pulling the map out of her bag. Gaara shook his head.

"Let's wait until tomorrow. There is no point looking in this weather we will just get lost. Perhaps by then the storm will have subsided." Sakura nodded and put the map on the small coffee table in front of the sofa. She pulled out a pencil and circled the forest along with the upper district. "The upper district? Isn't that where the feudal lord lives?" Sakura nodded.

"Tsunade told me that he has been oddly quiet for the past few months and has not left the mansion he lives in. The lady at the store told me that it was a safe place to settle which makes me believe that the gang has seized control of it and made the feudal lord give them money or something in exchange for protection of him." Gaara looked at her with a questioning look. "It's just a theory, maybe a bit farfetched but still." She said defensively. He nodded.

"It's a good place to check out as well." Gaara said nodding. Sakura agreed he could tell she was in full mission mode. "Well do you want to go get some lunch?" He stood up and pulled on his mask.

"Sure we can try and get some more information." Gaara nodded and followed her out the door. He took her hand in his and she seemed to loosen up a little. "This is a mission you know. One that YOU aren't even supposed to be on." She pretended to be angry but he knew she wasn't so he merely smiled. They opened the door and stepped into the harsh storm. "You know I wonder if anything is even open in this weather!" Sakura said shouting over the wailing wind. Gaara nodded and pulled his hood closer to his face. He was suddenly very great full for the mask as it covered his face from the harsh wind. Sakura burrowed into his side trying to stay close so as not to lose him. He held her hand tighter and pushed forward. In about fifteen minutes they were stumbling into a small bar on the west side of town.

"Look what the storm blew in!" The bartender called to them from the other side of the counter. The few people sitting at the counter smiled at them and the bartender laughed. "Come on in and we'll get you something to warm you up!" He smiled at them and Sakura took off her cloak hanging it up on the peg near the door. Gaara took off his cloak as well and hung it next to Sakura's. They crossed the room and sat in a booth near the bar counter. The bartender called to a girl inside of the kitchen and she walked over to their table and asked them what they would like.

"Some pork ramen for me please." Sakura said and the waitress nodded. She then turned to Gaara and asked him what he would like.

"The same as her please." She nodded and walked back into the kitchen. Sakura smiled at Gaara and he nodded back to her.

"Hey come on over here near the kitchen and warm up!" A man called to them from the counter. Sakura looked at Gaara and he stood up. He sat next to the man and Sakura sat next to him.

"You two are obviously not from around here so where are you from?" The bartender said smiling as the others at the counter looked at them as well interested in the mysterious newcomers.

"I lived in a small town not too far from here." Sakura said smiling. The man nodded and turned to Gaara.

"So are you her brother?" He asked setting down a glass. Gaara laughed.

"No she's my wife we were married two days ago." The men all laughed and congratulated them both.

"So what brings two newlyweds like you to a humble town like ours?" The man next to Gaara asked.

"Well we are passing through on our way to Grass Country. We were attacked on the way here by an animal he was injured protecting me. When we got here we got medical treatment but then the storm slowed us down." Sakura said as the bartender handed her a glass of water. She thanked him and he gave her a sympathetic look.

"Well my name is Iori and these are Kisho, Kai and Rozu." The men at the counter waved to them and smiled as Iori looked back at Sakura and Gaara. "So what are your names?" Sakura thought quickly she needed to stay undercover.

"My name is Yuri." Sakura said cheerfully. Gaara waved a little.

"I'm Gen." Gaara said smiling as Sakura nodded her approval. Iori smiled.

"Nice to meet you Yuri, Gen. I'm glad to hear that you are on the mend Gen." Gaara nodded.

"Thank you." Iori nodded and set two bowls of ramen in front of them. Sakura thanked him and began to eat. Gaara lifted up his mask just far enough that he could put food into his mouth. He finished rather quickly and watched Sakura eat while taking in the bar and the people in it. Kai and Kisho talked to Iori about the storm and hoped that it would blow over soon. Gaara and Sakura listened as they talked and were brought back into the conversation when Kai mentioned having to pay extra taxes.

"They make us pay too much!" Kisho agreed.

"They took away my best pig and said it was required to make up the taxes I was late on." Rozu said bitterly. Iori shook his head and cleaned off the glass he was holding.

"Things have gotten quite expensive lately. They taxed me almost double for the sake imports. I'm now having to get the farmers sell me them locally." Kai shook his head in disgust.

"Are the taxes really that bad here?" Sakura asked and Iori shrugged.

"They aren't usually too bad just lately they have been a bit high." Kisho laughed.

"A LOT higher than usual especially for those of us that own our own farms." Rozu said correcting Kisho. Iori shrugged.

"It is winter the taxes always go up to make up for the lack of farming industry." Kisho and Kai nodded but Rozu just shook his head.

"If you two are going to settle down here you'd better have a lot of money and be able to afford a house in the upper district or you'll find the taxes to be almost unbearable in the winter." Iori and Kai sensed the hostility Rozu was adding to the atmosphere and quickly switched to a different topic.

"So did you live anywhere near Konoha?" Iori said looking at Sakura. She panicked a little thinking that by some odd chance he might recognize her. Pink hair is not easy to forget. She shook her head.

"I visited there a few times but we were a little over a day's journey away." Iori nodded.

"The Hokage said she would try to lower the taxes on us smaller villages. I hope she does they are getting a bit excessive." Kai said. Sakura nodded.

"We wanted the same thing maybe Gen can write a letter to her. He has friends that live in Konoha and they can probably talk to her for you." Iori smiled.

"Thank you that would be a great help." Sakura nodded and Gaara did as well.

"We had best be going thank you for the food!" Sakura waved to Iori as she got off of the stool.

"Here take this for dinner so you won't have to venture out again." He handed them a bundle of cloth with two boxes inside. Sakura smiled and took them.

"You are very kind people thank you. I hope everything goes well for you all." Gaara said and bowed a little. The men smiled and waved goodbye as they got their cloaks and walked out the door into the bitter storm. Gaara took Sakura's hand in his own and they hurried back to the hotel with only the streetlights to guide them. When they got to the forest and unlit road leading up to the Inn they almost got lost in the storm. Gaara, who was used to the sandstorms of the desert, knew which way to go and led her through the storm.

_"Thank Kami Gaara is here or I would be lost!" _Sakura thought holding on tightly to Gaara's arm as they fought through the storm and deep snow. They eventually had to resort to walking with chakra across the snow for it got too deep to trudge through. Eventually, tired and cold, they stumbled into the Inn. They walked quickly down the hall and into the room where Sakura promptly turned up the heat and huddled next to Gaara on the couch under a warm comforter from the bed. He turned on the TV and put in a movie. Sakura smiled and settled down into the warmth cuddled next to Gaara. He smiled and kissed her hair. They sat like this for a while watching the movie.

"You'd better not go anywhere anytime soon." He growled as Sakura shifted on the couch. She laughed.

"Oh and what would you do if I did?" She poked his chest challengingly. He smirked back at her and poked her arm.

"I would make you stay." She raised an eyebrow at him and laughed again.

"Oh really and how exactly would you do that?"She reached up and traced the scar on his forehead her eyes challenging him to do something. She began to move backwards smirking as she began to stand up. In a sudden blur of movement Gaara had his hand gripping her arm and his sand curled around her waist and other arm freezing her movement. She laughed as he smirked.

"What were you saying? That you would move?" He grinned devilishly at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Well your sand was not a fair move Gaara-kun." She turned her head away from him but he reached over and tilted her chin back towards him with his free hand.

"I think it was very fair." He smirked again and leaned down kissing her before pushing her back onto the couch. She sat down without complaining and he sat next to her happy as she smiled and curled up next to him again.

"I wasn't going to go anywhere anyways." She whispered and he smiled.

"I know." He kissed her nose and turned the movie back on letting Sakura lean on him as it played. 

_"I don't want to go back to Konoha but I guess we will have to it's just I know when we get back we have to be careful so nobody knows we are engaged until he makes the official announcement." _Sakura thought as she watched the movie.

_"Focus on the mission then deal with that when we get back just enjoy your man until we get back." _Inner said and winked. This made Sakura blush heavily forcing her to hope Gaara didn't notice. Inner did not need to put that into her head especially not on the mission! 

_"Ugh Inner you will never stop will you?" _Inner laughed.

_"Nope I'll only get worse until my desires are met." _Sakura blushed again and shut her out focusing on the movie trying to get Inners thoughts out of her head.

_"Ughh Inner is so perverted!" _

END OF CHAPTER 27! REVIEWS WE NEEDZ THEM!


	26. Chapter 28

Saki- Hey guys I know Gaara is really OOC sometimes but…it's almost Christmas!

Kiba- Hey Saki-chan got you a present!

Saki- Thanks Kiba!

Kiba- I hope you like it! She owns no Naruto or Naruto products!

Saki- I wonder what it is?

Chapter 28

Gaara heard soft breathing as he shut off the movie and noticed Sakura had fallen asleep on him. He smiled and picked her up placing her on the bed before crawling in himself. She wrapped her arms around his arm and he smiled. Her necklace was lying on her chest and the sand swirled happily inside of it Gaara smiled and kissed her hair softly so as not to wake her. "Goodnight My Blossom." He put his arm around her small frame and smiled at the thought of being able to hold her for the rest of his life. He closed his eyes and listened to her soft breathing that made him eventually fall asleep. He still wasn't accustom to dreams and was a bit confused when he opened his eyes to see he was in Sakura's house again. _He saw a fire in the fire place and a large Christmas tree in the corner with gifts under it. The whole house smelled like Christmas cookies and he saw a figure in the kitchen moving around. He walked into the kitchen and saw a pink haired figure bending down to get a batch of cookies out of the oven. He smiled and walked over to her hugging her waist as she stood up with the cookies. She laughed and set them on a hot pad on the counter before looking at him. _

_"You know you shouldn't hug someone unexpectedly when they are near an oven." She wagged her finger at him reproachfully and he smiled. _

_"Well if it's my wife and she already knows I'm in the room then its ok." He smiled and she did as well as she walked over to him. He slid his hand into hers and twirled her around the kitchen slowly smiling. She laughed and rested her head on his chest. He smiled and rested his cheek against her hair. She laughed again as he spun her around and then let her spin away from him. She smiled and took off her apron hanging it on a peg in the kitchen before putting the cookies on a plate. Gaara smiled and tried to take one but she hit his hand and picked up the plate holding it away from him. _

_"Bad Gaara-kun! No cookies until after dinner!" She smiled and put them on the table in the living room before bringing a ham out from the oven and setting it on the table. He pretended to pout and sat in his place at the table. She smiled and sat down at the other end of the table before smiling at him."Itadakimasu!" He smiled._

_"Itadakimasu." He smiled and began to eat the ham smiling at its delicious flavor. _

Gaara felt himself opening his eyes as a loud noise pierced his dream. He groaned and rolled over to hit the alarm clock. He saw Sakura's emerald eyes flutter open as she yawned. She smiled and hugged him happily.

"What a nice way to wake up." He chuckled and hugged her back.

"I agree but unfortunately we need to get a move on so we can continue our mission and be back soon. Then we can make plans." He smiled and kissed her as she laughed.

"The storm seems to have blown over. Let me check. She walked over to the window and pulled back the blinds. The snow lay quiet and still on the ground and she nodded. "Yes it is only lightly snowing we can move onto the second part of the mission."

He nodded. "I'll only be a minute I want to shower quickly." She nodded as he grabbed his shinobi clothes and mask before walking into the bathroom.

Sakura heard the water running and sat on the couch. She had showered already before he had woken up using a clone to stay in her place so she wouldn't wake him. She took off her clothes from the day before and slid on her medic pants and usual red shirt before grabbing her pack and leg wrap. She slid on her kunai holder and grabbed her cloak sliding it on before Gaara returned from the bathroom. His hair was wet and all she could think about was the day she ran into him after the shower at her house. She blushed a little and thought he didn't catch it by the way he grabbed his cloak and slid it on. He smiled behind his mask. He most certainly did catch the blush she was now trying so hard to hide.

"Sakura-chan do you want to check the Northern Woods today?" She nodded and handed him a transmitter necklace and earpiece.

"You can talk to me through this that way we can split up and communicate with each other." He nodded and grabbed his packs strapping them to his back and waist before putting on the cloak. He smiled at her and took her hand in his before walking out of the room and sealing the door with a hand seal so that nobody could go snooping around in there if they were being watched. They walked outside and Gaara nodded to her. They walked towards the forest and jumped into the trees still covered in fresh snow. Luckily they were trained well enough to know not to leave footprints in the snow. Sakura had learned when she was a genin and Gaara merely used his sand to lighten his steps and erase any tracks they were leaving behind. Sakura nodded to him and he turned on his communicator.

"I'll take the right side and look for any signs of a base. Look for genjutsu's as well as they will probably be covering up their hideout." Sakura said through the receiver.

"I'll take the left and report in fifteen minutes if I find nothing." He jumped away from her and watched as her cloak disappeared as she jumped away. He sighed and sent his sand to scan for any chakra signals. He couldn't find any but he didn't expect to. His receiver crackled and he stopped moving.

"Gaara…..I found it…..can you find me?" The receiver was a bit staticy which meant she was probably far away. Gaara thanked his luck that she was his mate. He could sense her chakra and knew Shukaku could lead him to her.

"Yes I'll be there soon." Sakura heard his voice crackle out of the receiver and smiled. She sank against the back of the tree and started to analyze the situation. The hideout was a small building that would be mistaken for a shack if it wasn't for the ninja walking around it in a methodical circle. There were only two on the outside they carried large weapons meaning that they probably were hired hands that only had basic training and relied on their strength. No doubt the rest of the hideout was under ground. Most of them seemed to be. She hid her chakra completely and waited for Gaara to arrive.

_"Shukaku lead me to her." _Gaara thought as he rushed through the trees silent as a falling leaf. His sand moved in front of him and he knew he had to follow it he felt it move to the left and followed. Soon he saw a small shack with two ninja guarding it. He looked and saw Sakura on the tree across from him. "What's the plan?" He whispered into the receiver.

"We are going to go back to the Inn and send for the anbu team. Then I have to act as a medic." Gaara nodded and they jumped away unnoticed back to the Inn. When they arrived Sakura pulled out a scroll and quickly wrote down the information. She told Gaara to hide and he did. She took out another scroll Tsunade gave her and summoned Katsuyu. She appeared and took the scroll in her mouth swallowing it and nodding to Sakura before disappearing. Gaara sat on the couch and laid his head back.

"So now we wait." He said sighing. Sakura nodded and sighed as well. She sat down next to him and took off her kunai holder and pack laying them on the table next to Gaara's.

"Knowing them they will be here within a few hours. In which case you need to be quiet and secretive remember you are an escort I requested. Hopefully it will be anbu that won't recognize you. Try not to talk very much and you will be fine. That's part of the reason I made you hide from Katsuyu, so she wouldn't tell Tsunade-sama. I will have to tell her when I get back but I'll deal with it then." He laughed from behind his mask and turned his head towards her taking it off and throwing it onto the table.

"I know I'm rather good at lying low. I have been doing it for most of my life." He smiled and took her hand in his. "We might be home before the end of the week." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"I hope so I promised Naruto I'd hang out with him and the rest of my friends soon." Gaara chuckled.

"Can I come along?" She smiled and bowed her head a little in mock respect.

"Of course I can't deny the Kazekage. After all I am but a humble apprentice to the Hokage." She smiled and he laughed.

"You are already much more than that. Everyone already holds you in the highest regard imagine what will happen when we tell everyone you're engaged. I think you will be held in higher regard then even me or Tsunade. Certainly the people of Suna already admire you so much for helping to save me and saving Kankuro. You are so much easier to admire especially considering they used to be terrified of me. They have never been afraid of you." Sakura shook her head.

"It's my duty as a medic to help people. They have no reason to hold me in high regard." Gaara growled.

"You are too modest Sakura you are incredible you have already gained Tsunade's trust and mine as well along with both villages trust I might add." He looked at her with his dark rimmed eyes and she saw the truth in his words. She sighed and looked at their hands entwined together on her lap.

"I've lost people too you know. I couldn't save them in time or I wasn't strong enough to help. You know you remember how weak I was. People got hurt and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't help I was so helpless myself how could I possibly help others? Then I was forced to watch as they slipped through my fingers." Gaara looked at her and saw sadness in her eyes he had only seen once before.

"You are the strongest person I know. Besides that is all in the past now nobody can change the past. You learn from your mistakes and move on. I didn't for the longest time but Naruto taught me to. He told me to move on and do what was best for my people. That is how I became the leader I am to them now. You have more strength than Tsunade I know it as well as everyone else. Even Tsunade knows it. The only one who doesn't seem to know is you. You have reached her level already and in time you will completely surpass her. So trust me when I say you have won the hearts of the villages and their respect as well but more than that you've won my heart completely." Sakura looked at him and a single tear rolled down her cheek. He brushed it away and kissed her softly on the lips before pulling on his mask and standing up. He grabbed his pack and helped her up as well. She grabbed her pack and kunai holder and put them on before looking at the table where Katsuyu had appeared.

"Sakura-san the anbu are waiting for you outside. They said to meet them in the forest in the tallest spruce."

"Thank you Katsuyu you can go now."

"Hai Sakura-san." She disappeared and Gaara slid out from behind the door.

"Well let's go they are waiting." She smiled at Gaara and he nodded. They left the Inn and turned down the road laughing like a happy couple. They held hands and walked in close proximity. To any people who looked at them they were just a happy couple enjoying the snow. It would have been nice for them as well if they weren't on a mission. Sakura laughed and smiled at him as she scanned the area with her chakra. They turned down an alley and slipped into the shadows of the building before running across the snow covering their tracks. They reached the tree line and jumped into the nearest trees before landing on a high spruce that stuck out among the rest.

"Sakura-san, Tsunade-sama said we were to gain information from you." He bowed slightly as three other flanked him on the wide branch. "We were uniformed of your associate. Is he a local ninja or town guard?" He looked at Gaara who moved next to Sakura. She looked back at Gaara as if she had forgotten he was there.

"Ah yes I requested an escort here and received one. His name is Gen." The anbu captain nodded and knelt onto the ground producing a scroll. He unrolled it and a map of the forest appeared. Sakura and Gaara knelt down as well and looked at the map.

"We are in this spot here. Do you know the exact location of the hideout?" Sakura nodded and pointed to a spot not too far from where they were.

"Two outside guards heavily armed but appear to use only brute force to fight a long range attack would be most effective. The rest of the hideout is underground we assume. I don't know how large it is but it will probably be guarded heavily. The only way to get in so far is the front entrance. The hideout had a trail that led to the town's upper district. I believe the Feudal Lord might be involved in this. If not he will be assumed a prisoner." The anbu nodded and stood up replacing the scroll into his pack again he looked at Gaara.

"What is your specialization?"

"Infiltration and combative techniques." He said in a monotone voice void of recognition. Sakura was relieved he knew how to disguise it so well. The anbu captain nodded and looked at Sakura. "We will take out the guards and you and an anbu slip inside. They will no doubt send reinforcements outside. We have less chance of being discovered inside if only three infiltrate. There the rest of us will wait. Gen you will follow Sakura and protect her. She is our medic and is very valuable. You know your duty I assume." Gaara nodded and the anbu captain nodded back. "If there is no reply within a half hour we will infiltrate and assume a rescue. Understood?"

"Hai!" They all replied and they immediately set out across the trees as silent as a mouse.

END OF CHAPTER 28! REVIEWS PLEASE! :D


	27. Chapter 29

Saki- HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Sasori- Yes and a Happy New Years!

Saki- Well you know the drill I own no Naruto or Naruto products.

Sasori- My Hope Blossom got something nice for the Holidays didn't you.

Saki- Yep PM me and I'll tell you ;)

Chapter 29

Gaara watched Sakura as she dropped behind a pine tree and followed with the anbu close by him. He dropped next to her and waited for the signal. The anbu captain and the other anbu jumped out into the clearing making the men guarding the door look at them and become alert.

"What are you doing here this is private property!" The one on the right shouted.

"We won't be staying long." The anbu captain said straightening up. He pulled out a kunai and the men readied their weapons.

"We'll crush you to bits if you don't clear out!" The other shouted at them holding his large sword a little bit higher in his hands. The anbu captain sent out a kunai that he deflected with his sword before yelling and charging at him. He dodged him easily and planted a kunai in his right arm. By this point the other thug had called for backup and the other anbu members were beginning to fight the newcomers. Unlike the guards they seemed more trained but still at a Genin or Chunnin level. The anbu were making short work of them as three already lay dead and others wounded. Sakura nodded and Gaara and the anbu jumped to the top of the hut hiding out of sight. The men had stopped coming out of the hut and Sakura dropped down and slid inside without anyone noticing. Gaara and the anbu followed after her. They looked around the small shack and saw a door open in the back. It had stairs leading down to a hallway lit with torches. They erased their chakra signals and nodded to each other. They quietly snuck down and the anbu stated that there was no chakra signals in the hall below. Sakura moved quickly and silently through the hallway looking for the leader or head of the operation. She turned a corner and felt two chakra signals in a room down the hall. She signaled to the anbu and Gaara to slow down. She continued sneaking against the wall her shadow dancing on the opposite wall in the torch light. She heard voices and crouched near the door motioning for them to stop.

"Ninja are trying to infiltrate here. They attacked the guards and they requested for backup. We sent the men out to stop them. Do you want to leave?" The first voice, a male said from behind the door.

"No we will stay and wait it out. They won't last long. Maybe we can even capture and interrogate one." A second deeper voice commanded.

"Yes Sir." The first voice said. Sakura heard footsteps and motioned for them to retreat to a doorframe next to them. They hid against the door and waited for the man to walk past them. The anbu jumped out and put his hand over the man's mouth before slitting his throat. Sakura checked his pulse quickly and nodded that he was dead. The anbu looked at him and then back to Sakura.

"I don't recognize him. He is probably just a hired right hand." Gaara nodded. The anbu took off the communicator around the man's neck and put it in his pocket. Sakura snuck back to the door and looked at Gaara and the anbu who nodded. They went in front of her on the other side of the door holding kunais at the ready. Sakura opened the door and walked inside holding her kunai in front of her. The room was huge and had large pillars supporting the ceiling.

"Ah look what I have here. A little mouse seemed to have slipped through my trap. What a troublesome thing this is." A voice said from the shadows. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Seriously? The whole "I'm an evil mastermind who is mysteriously in the shadows" thing was so old and overused. "My my, what a pretty little mouse you are. Maybe I won't kill you." He laughed evilly and she scowled. She watched as he walked out from the shadows and into the torch light. Sakura scowled again and watched as he looked at her. Gaara tensed and resisted the urge to kill him on the spot for looking at Sakura that way. Shukaku was growling as well and pushing him to kill the man. He held back not wanting to ruin the mission.

"Who will be killing who because you are outnumbered I'm afraid."Sakura said and Gaara moved into the room with the anbu. He raised an eyebrow as Gaara and the anbu flanked her.

"Oh dear it appears I am. Well then what am I to do?" He grinned and Sakura recognized him suddenly.

"You're the Feudal Lord. I recognize you from when you came to Konoha." She narrowed her eyes and he smiled.

"A clever mouse indeed but so quick to judge." He laughed and reached his hand behind his back. Gaara wanted to kill him more than ever for mocking Sakura but again held back.

"You can either come quietly and not be attacked or we will not hesitate to kill you. Answer our questions and you will not be treated as harshly." The anbu said stepping forward while Sakura stepped back. The Feudal Lord laughed.

"I may not want to answer any questions, how does that sound?" The anbu tensed his hand a little and Sakura did as well. The Feudal Lord put his other hand to his forehead. "The Hokage sent and anbu and a little mouse after me? Oh and a bodyguard I assume, how insulting." He pulled out a scroll and the anbu launched a kunai which he dodged. He made a few quick hand symbols and a large beast appeared which he jumped on top of. It looked like a large beetle with spikes. He stood on its back and sneered down at them. "Well that won't be enough to stop me." The beetle ran towards them and they dodged it. Sakura quickly pushed off of the pillar near here and launched a kunai towards the Feudal Lord. He dodged it and the beetle came towards her. Gaara watched and took off towards her. The anbu jumped towards the beetle's back and made a hand signal sending a wave of water towards him making it freeze around the beetle's feet. He stopped for a moment and let out a high pitched shriek before breaking the ice. Sakura moved quickly and shot another kunai towards the Feudal Lord. It skimmed his arm and he hissed.

"I was going to go easy on you because you were such a pretty little thing but I see now that will be impossible." The bug slammed left towards Sakura and she dodged it as it knocked over a pillar. The ceiling shook a little and Sakura jumped next to Gaara to avoid the pillar. He looked at her and saw she was alright. He turned to the Feudal Lord and ran towards the beetle sending a quick shuriken towards him which hit his leg. He hissed again and looked at Gaara scowling. "That's going to cost you brat!" He launched a rain of senbon towards Gaara and he dodged them sending another shuriken towards him. The anbu launched a senbon towards his neck and the Feudal Lord dodged them both. The bug unfolded its wings and sent a powerful wave of wind towards them before hovering in the air.

"Gen protect Sakura. I think the roof will collapse if we can get the bug to hit the pillars and knock them down. Maybe we can kill the Feudal Lord's bug and be able to fight him hand to hand." Gaara nodded and Sakura looked up at the angry bug flying towards her. She took off across the room and stopped in front of a pillar as the bug charged and hit it knocking it down and shaking the ceiling again. She dodged another wind attack and Gaara ran over to her sending kunais towards the bug which hit it and made it hiss angrily. The roof was still stable and Sakura wondered how long it would take to knock down all of the pillars. She scowled and looked at the bug.

"I'm going to punch the ground and try to shatter the pillars. Cover me." The anbu nodded and Gaara took the left while he took the right. Sakura gathered chakra in her hand and the boys jumped into the air as she hit the floor splitting the rock and cracking it into a fissure. The pillars began to crack and crumble as the bug tried another wind attack which Sakura dodged as the anbu made another hand signal.

"Water style: Water shock wave!" A large wave of water slammed into the bug and filled the area breaking the pillars. Sakura jumped out of the way of falling chunks of ceiling and Gaara followed her closely jumping on top of rocks falling to escape getting crushed. They saw the anbu copying them as the bug hissed and shrieked as he was hit by a rock causing him to falter in his flight and then beat his wings harder. They were wet and he was falling as another rock hit him and he fell to the ground as he was crushed by another giant rock. The Feudal Lord jumped onto the rocks as the last of them fell. They all jumped onto the meadow above with the large pit of water behind them. Sakura and Gaara landed side by side dripping in water and scratches from the falling rocks.

"Well you may have defeated my bug but you have not even begun to defeat me!" He made hand signals and sent wind attacks towards them which Sakura dodged.

"It's not over yet!" Sakura yelled.

The anbu looked at them and Sakura pulled out a scroll sending several kunais with small bags on the ends of them towards the feudal lord with a quick hand signal. He dodged them and deflected them with his own kunai causing the bags to break and Cherry Blossom petals to fly through the air. He laughed as he watched them fall around him.

"Petals? Haha you really are a little girl aren't you?" He laughed and Sakura grinned pulling out another kunai with an explosive tag on it pulling a string that ignited it and throwing it at him letting it land at his feet. He looked down as the tag exploded. Sakura and the others all jumped back as a large explosion went off and the air was filled with floating Cherry Blossom petals as it subsided. She scowled and shielded here face with her arm as she jumped backwards. When the smoke cleared the Feudal Lord lay on the ground bleeding with his eyes closed. Sakura jumped down and Gaara covered her as the anbu approached the Feudal Lord and took his pulse.

"He's alive but passed out. I will bind him and we can take him to Konoha for interrogation. Let's call the Captain and get them to come over here." Sakura nodded and turned on her communicator.

"Captain we have the Feudal Lord in our captivity and wish to rendezvous here." She heard a dead silence and feared he was dead.

"Stay where you are we will be there momentarily. We have one needing medical attention and one casualty." She heard his voice through the receiver and nodded.

"Hai." Gaara looked at her and saw her sigh of relief. She had a few cuts and scratches but nothing major. He was glad. He himself was unharmed save for a few minor scrapes on his arms. Sakura smiled at him and he nodded back smiling behind his mask. She then turned to the trees as the captain and the other anbu arrived. One was being carried bleeding from a long cut on his leg rather heavily. "Set him here." He was set down on the ground and Sakura raised a glowing green hand full of chakra to the cut healing it and sealing the wound. Luckily it wasn't deep and Sakura sealed it so it wouldn't bleed. She then bandaged it and smiled at him. "Done."

"My name is Kaguri. Thank you Ms. Haruno." She nodded and turned to the Captain.

"What now Captain. Do you want me to heal you as well?" He shook his head and turned to the Feudal Lord who had been tied up and propped against a tree. Sakura walked over to him and stopped his bleeding so he wouldn't die of blood loss but did not heal anything else. The Captain nodding his approval and ordered one of the anbu members to carry him. Sakura and Gaara turned to him as he looked at them.

"Gen, Sakura, excellent work you have done well. I would like for you to investigate his house and see exactly what he was trying to do." Sakura and Gaara nodded and the anbu carrying the Feudal Lord and the Captain left jumping quickly through the trees. Kaguri was still in the clearing and walked over to Sakura and Gaara.

"I will stay with you and await further orders. I'll help you investigate the Feudal Lord's house. We can go now if you like." Sakura nodded and they jumped into the trees heading back to the town.

END OF CHAPTER 29! REVIEWS PLEASEEE!


	28. Chapter 30

Saki- Wow this is insane I updated two chapters yesterday and now one today!

Yuukimaru- It's her Holiday present to you!

Saki- Yep! :D

Yuukimaru- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 30

Sakura hurried through the trees a little slower than before. She was a bit tired from the fighting and wasn't in a serious hurry to get to the Feudal Lord's house. Gaara sensed her tiredness and Kaguri's as well they were both tired from the fighting. He traveled close to Sakura and looked at her. She turned and looked at him with a smile.

"That didn't take long." He nodded.

"I didn't expect it to he seemed to think he was a lot better than he really was." Gaara said in his monotone voice. He wished he could talk normally but Kaguri was still with them. Kaguri had turned to Sakura and was now traveling close to her other side.

"I think the Feudal Lord wasn't the head of this plot what do you think?" Sakura looked at him with her brow furrowed.

"I agree. He seemed like he wanted to stay alive but wasn't really in charge of anything. It almost seemed like he was being kept there so whoever's operating this could have someone to gain power from. I think he was a pawn for someone else." Kaguri nodded and they stopped in the trees above the Feudal Lord's estate. They saw guards patrolling the inside and figured their suspicions were confirmed. Someone else was running this and it wasn't the Feudal Lord. Kaguri looked around and saw guards ranging from hired thugs to seemingly well trained ninja.

"I think we need to make a plan. This is going to be harder than we thought. Gen can you see any way we could get in?" Gaara was standing higher on the tree and nodded.

"There is a door in the east side that is not being covered at the moment." Sakura looked up at him and then at the door he was pointing to.

"I can get in there without being seen it's better if it's only me .I can get around easier if it's only me sneaking around we have less chances of being discovered." Gaara scowled behind his mask and was about to say he would go when Kaguri nodded.

"She is probably one of the best people we could use for this job. We'll act as backup if you need it. Keep your communicator on and radio us when you get any information and on the half hour." She nodded and stood up against the tree.

"I'll be back soon I promise." She whispered to Gaara and he discretely squeezed her hand.

"Be careful." He breathed back and she gave him a big smile.

"I always am." Then she flickered away appearing on a tree farther away from them. Kaguri lay on his stomach on the branch and Gaara stood on a tree a little ways away watching Sakura as she dropped down onto a tree near the door. She looked around and flickered to the door before sliding in.

_"Ok I'm in now which way do I go?" _She thought looking around the small bedroom she was in. She walked over to the door and opened it slowly peering out into the corridor. She shut it when she heard footsteps and hid in the wardrobe. She saw a girl wearing a servant's kimono walk into the room and begin to fluff the pillows on the bed and clean the room. Sakura silently put a genjutsu on her and snuck out to the oblivious girl hitting her on the head and knocking her out. She put the girl into the wardrobe and took her kimono off her putting it on herself. She slid it on over her clothing and put a kunai into the sleeve and tying the ribbon around her neck hiding the communicator. She then opened the door and walked out into the corridor. She walked quickly down the hall and froze a little when voices and footsteps began to approach her.

"Well the boss said we should check it out. He said there was an explosion over in that direction reported by a border patrol guard." The first man said walking closer to where Sakura stood against the wall. The footsteps stopped and the other man seemed to scoff.

"It's probably just some pesky local trying to snoop around. Nothing big those guys always get so worked up about that. Besides the Feudal Lord is there so everything is fine. Boss says he's completely converted to our side." Sakura heard their footsteps continue as they rounded the corner. She looked down and walked down the hall like a shy servant girl.

"Hey you!" The man called to Sakura who stopped and turned around bowing.

"Yes Sir may I help you with something?" She looked up at the men who were standing in front of her. They smiled and looked at her.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around here." He smirked at her and looked her up and down as she nodded.

"I'm a bit lost I was looking for the Boss' office I was told to clean it." The men smiled and nodded towards the left.

"Walk down that hallway and it's the third door on the left." She bowed and the men walked away smiling and talking about her.

"Kaguri I have infiltrated and am playing a maid. I am on my way to the Boss' office." Kaguri replied with his approval and Sakura continued walking. She stopped at the door and knocked listening for a response. She quietly opened the door and saw no one in the room. So she walked in and began to look around. She saw nothing unusual and acted as if she was merely dusting the furniture as she looked around. She saw a desk with papers on it and decided to go look at it. On the desk lay a map of Fire Country and Grass Country with three ports circled. She thought this was odd and memorized the ports. She recognized two of the ports as notorious illegal ports that were involved in the black market. _"So that's what he's using the money for, illegal goods. The tax money all goes to them and they uses it for their own advantage. But what are they buying and what are they using it for?" _She picked up a black booklet lying on the desk and saw a list of purchases all signed with the same signature for the same thing; weapons. Lots and lots of weapons.

"Kaguri I found a booklet with purchases of weapons listed all under the same name. Not to mention they are using the tax money to pay for it."

"Good work see if you can find anything else and then get out of there."

"Hai." She said and ended the communication. She then began to arrange the papers on the desk and look through each on under the guise she was organizing them. She scanned through each one and saw a list of names, some crossed out and others circled. One caught her eye and she wasn't surprised to see it circled in a heavy black ink as if someone was pressing angrily on the paper. Lady Tsunade's name and under it, hers. She was now in a state of fear. These people were definitely targeting people of importance. The Feudal Lord's name was circled and crossed out and she wondered if the Boss knew about his death yet. Seeing her name on the list again as she scanned it made her realize something she didn't think of. They probably knew exactly what she looked like. She panicked a little and put the papers down walking quickly towards the door. She opened it and looked up into the face of a tall man who smiled before someone hit her on the back of the neck and she blacked out.

Up in the trees Gaara was becoming worried. It had been a while since Sakura had communicated and he was becoming more worried by the minute. Kaguri looked at him and tried to contact Sakura. "Sakura, do you copy? Sakura please come in." Gaara was now in a severely worried state. He couldn't let Kaguri see or he would give away his undercover act. So he merely watched the windows of the building like a hawk. Suddenly a flash of pink caught his eye.

"Kaguri look over there!" He pointed to a window where a group of figures were walking. The middle one was carrying something and Gaara hoped his eyes were wrong.

"Gen they have Sakura." Kaguri said looking where he was pointing Sure enough she was being carried limply over a large man's shoulder. Her wrists were bound and she seemed to be unconscious. Gaara felt a wave of anger coming over him and was about to jump down and get her back when Kaguri spoke up. "I have a plan but it's a bit risky. We need to get her back at all costs though. She's our medic and we never leave a captured teammate behind." Gaara nodded and took all of his willpower to stay on the branch. "On my signal we follow." Kaguri looked down and waited for the ninja in the courtyard to look different directions before he raised his hand and said, "Now." Gaara jumped off the branch and across the rooftops following the men carrying Sakura along the outside of the building before they disappeared into a stairwell. Kaguri motioned for Gaara to follow him through a door near them that would lead into the corridor. They slipped inside quickly and hurried down the corridor towards the stairwell the men disappeared into. Gaara pulled out a shuriken and Kaguri cautiously opened the door. The stairs were lit by some torches and descended into a dark hallway. Gaara quickly moved down the stairs behind Kaguri and was silently cursing himself for letting her go on the mission and especially for not being able to use his sand. Kaguri stopped him and motioned for him to look at what the men were doing.

"He he she's a beauty shame really that she's a captive. She seems like such a nice girl." The bigger man said setting her down on the floor of a cell. "Boss' orders though, apparently she's the Hokage's apprentice. Keep an eye on her she's a sneaky one." He turned and began to walk Gaara and Kaguri's way. Kaguri made a quick hand signal and the man walked right past them without noticing anything.

"A genjutsu Kurenai taught me." He whispered. Gaara nodded already realizing that. He was focused on the small body of Sakura lying unconscious in the cell. Kaguri looked and saw four guards around her cell. All of them looked like trained ninjas. Gaara resisted the urge to growl. He wanted so badly to kill them for taking her. That old sensation fueled by Shukaku's growls of anger filled him again and he knew he could beat them even without his sand. Gaara nodded to Kaguri who threw a shuriken at one of the guards striking him down. The others were now alert and grabbed weapons throwing them at Kaguri who was dodging them while throwing his own weapons. One of the guards dropped back and opened Sakura's cell before grabbing her and running away down the corridor. Kaguri looked at Gaara and yelled, "Gen follow them!" Gaara nodded and dodged kunais as he raced after them. Two more guards came down the stairs and followed Gaara sending kunais after him. He threw a shuriken that hit one in the arm slowing him down for a moment before he began to follow again.

"Sakura why did I let you get yourself into this?" He growled as he turned a corner making sure not to lose sight of the man carrying Sakura. He threw shurikens at Gaara who dodged them easily while running swiftly towards him. He was using his sand to speed his steps but nobody would notice it anyways. At this point he didn't care.

_"Kill him kid do it and get her back." _Shukaku's angry, throaty growl rang through his head and he chased after them even faster. The ninja carrying her noticed Gaara was gaining on him and turned up a stairwell slamming into the corridor above before jumping out an open window and across the trees outside. Gaara heard a voice calling after him but didn't care as he raced out the window and followed the man in hot pursuit.

"Gen!" Gaara spun his head around for a second and saw an out of breath Kaguri next to him with not even a scratch on him. But he was anbu that was expected. Gaara nodded to him and they both raced after Sakura. The man was racing through the forest towards the ruined hideout of the Feudal Lord. Obviously he was going for backup but wasn't going to receive any. Gaara felt a lot of chakra signals behind them and figured the guards from the Feudal Lord's house were chasing them. It was sure to end in a fight but he would be willing to do anything to help Sakura.

END OF CHAPTER 30! REVIEWS PLEASE! 3 HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


	29. Chapter 32

Saki- Hello again!

Kabuto- Yes Hehehe hello.

Saki- Say it and get out or I swear I will call Hidan and Kakuzu.

Kabuto- She doesn't own Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 32

"Kaguri cover me!" Gaara shouted breaking ahead and sprinting towards where the man had set Sakura down and was now readying himself for a fight. Kaguri nodded and covered Gaara as he dropped down to face the man covering Sakura. She was lying on the ground and he thought he saw her stir. The man was not focused on her however but entirely focused on Gaara. He threw a kunai with an exploding tag at Gaara and he jumped out of the way as the man made a quick hand signal sending the Earth beneath them to crumble and crack. Gaara dodged a bombardment of rocks and gave in to Shukaku's urges using his sand to sneak up behind the man and suddenly curl around his neck. Gaara made a hand sign and the sand squeezed and slit his throat. Gaara then ran over to Sakura.

"Sakura!" He took her head in his hands and she opened her eyes smiling.

"Ah so the rescue crew came then." He squeezed her hand but his joy was short lived as she quickly broke her bonds and knocked him away from a kunai heading towards them. The guards from the estate were in the clearing now and Kaguri appeared at their side instantly.

"Good to see you are awake Sakura. Are you hurt?" She shook her head and Kaguri nodded. She stood up with Gaara flanking her.

"Let's take care of these thugs." She growled and punched the ground creating a deep rift in the Earth making several guards fall into it. She then made a quick hand signal and closed the rift and killed them sealing the ground up again. Some of the guards backed up and Kaguri sent explosive kunais towards them quickly killing two of them. "They aren't that tough." Sakura said loud enough for the guards to hear and become angry. One charged her and she dodged his kunai and hit his arm with a blue chakra scalpel she had made around her hand. Gaara was fighting a man with a large sword who was swinging it at him in an attempt to hit him. Gaara was always one step ahead of him and was making shots of his own with shuriken. Two hit his opponent and made him falter long enough for a rock spear created by Kaguri to hit him and kill him. Gaara nodded his thanks to Kaguri and growled at the disadvantage he had by not being able to use any jutsus to help him. He really was at a disadvantage not being able to use his sand.

"You get the one in the mask I'll get this one!" A guard shouted and two other ninjas came running at Gaara. He sent out two shurikens immediately and they dodged them. He was focused on Sakura who was fighting three men at once. She dodged left and aimed a chakra enhanced fist into a man's chest making him collapse on the ground and not get up she then turned and hit another in the face making him fall unconscious as well. She was using taijutsu to her advantage, something Gaara wished he could do.

"Gen left!" Kaguri called to him and he dodged a shuriken throw at him throwing an exploding kunai after him killing one of the men attacking him. Sakura pulled out a scroll and opened it releasing the katana Gaara gave her into her hand. She quickly sliced a man near her making him fall dead to the ground. She then jumped over and fought next to Gaara killing two more men. Gaara was watching her exerting so much chakra into her kicks and punches. There were still about thirty men left and she was becoming irritated. Kaguri and Gaara were fighting next to her and had killed about four more men. Three disappeared into the trees with scared looks in their eye obviously abandoning the fight. There were now only a few men left still fighting and they were quickly wiped out with a rock technique from Kaguri. The trio stood panting in the clearing when a loud clapping noise came from the trees behind them. They whirled around and saw a figure step out from the shadows clapping.

"I must say I'm impressed. An anbu an escort and a medic took down my men." The figure looked up at them and smiled. She had dark purple hair and a crossed out sound headband. She looked at them and laughed. "Well you've made it clear that you are a challenge worthy of my time." She put her hand up and cocked her head to the side. "Let's see what you've got." Sakura yelled at Gaara and Kaguri to put chakra in their ears so that the sound would be blocked out. Gaara did as he was told and still heard a loud buzzing noise coming from a hole in the girl's palm. He growled and threw a kunai at her aiming for her hand. She jumped away and dropped her arm stopping the noise. Sakura mouthed at them not to remove the chakra from their ears and Gaara and Kaguri nodded. Sakura turned back to the woman who was obviously annoyed her sound attacks weren't working. She hissed and Gaara pointed upwards to where a man was standing in the trees. He had a smug look on his face as he fired something towards them. Sakura jumped away from it as a dark gas seeped out from it covering the surrounding area. Gaara started to panic he couldn't see Sakura anymore! The gas made it impossible to see anything. Her chakra signal pulled his so he could tell she was alright. He could make out chakra signals but they were fuzzy and indistinct. Sakura's was the only one he could make out in the heavy gas.

"Kaguri!" He called but he found that his voice was lost in the gas immediately. A chakra signal came towards him and he deflected a kunai with his own the ping swallowed in the silence of the gas. Sakura's signal moved quickly and he could feel another fuzzy signal near her. She was being attacked as well. He calmed himself and made hand signals sending his sand curling from in his pocket out into the gas and finding the leg of the man attacking him. He pulled the sand back to him and found the man struggling to get away. He smiled at him and moved to make a quick cut with his kunai at the man's throat. He struggled and tried to cut Gaara with his own kunai. Gaara restrained his arms with sand and then finished him off. He expected the gas to clear but it hung around him as thick as ever in heavy, noise cancelling waves. He growled and fought to find Kaguri in the heavy gas.

"Is that all you've got? I expected more from a student of the Hokage. Especially the legendary Tsunade." Sakura growled at her and looked around desperately trying to find her chakra signal in the heavy gas. She could make it out along with another, stronger signal that was pulling on her. She knew it was Gaara's and that he was alright. She dodged a kunai that came hurtling out of the gas towards her. It scraped her arm but didn't do much. She merely moved on and continued to throw kunais towards the fuzzy chakra signal wondering how she could possibly see her in the thick gas. The woman laughed and walked towards her in the gas moving it aside with a wave of her arm. Sakura saw a large force field around them and the gas cleared enough for her to see the woman smiling at her.

"What do you want me for?" Sakura hissed at her pulling out a kunai and getting into a defensive position. The woman laughed.

"Since you'll be dead soon I'll tell you. I want to use you girl. Kill you and give your body to someone for a high bounty. I get paid well and can raise an army to take over Konoha and the rest of the Fire Country. Eventually I can spread my reign to Suna and from there the possibilities are endless!" She laughed and Sakura scowled.

"Why are all you freaks so power hungry? Can't you understand you don't gain anything from power?" The woman laughed and shook her head.

"Silly girl you gain everything from power. Absolutely everything." Sakura scowled again and the woman frowned. "I see then you don't understand. There is no need to delay this any longer." She lunged at Sakura and Sakura dodged her sending a kunai behind her. The woman dodged it humming. Sakura immediately sent chakra to her ears recognizing a possible sound attack. The woman hummed louder and pulled a scroll from her back unrolling it and summoning a person, a body, from the scroll. The body cocked its head towards Sakura and she saw the blue eyes staring at her with an empty glaze. They unnerved her they were too much like Naruto's eyes. She shook it off and sent a shuriken towards the woman but the body deflected it. She continued to hum and it moved after Sakura attacking her with a katana it carried. It made a few slices on her arm and she scowled hitting it back with her own katana. She was getting angry and frightened by the piercing blue eyes staring at her from the lifeless but animated body. Sakura hit its neck and it stopped moving. The woman scowled and made a hand signal making it disappear. It left Sakura in a state of fear though. Those eyes were so much like Naruto's.

Gaara was getting so frustrated in the gas. He growled and used a wind technique Temari taught him to clear the gas. As it drifted away he saw Kaguri running towards him.

"Where's Sakura? I thought she was with you!" Gaara felt for her chakra signal and found it in a different part of the clearing. He saw an odd force field clouded and knew Sakura was in it fighting against the woman.

"We have to help her!" Gaara said hurrying with Kaguri over to the force field trying to break it.

In the barrier Sakura was still fighting the woman trying her hardest to get rid of the image of the haunting blue eyes. She snapped out of it and continued to attack the woman using her open Earth technique to trap her feet in the Earth. The woman shrieked and Sakura fell to her knees putting more chakra in her ears driving out the shrill noise. She could feel her chakra draining and pushed against the noise harder. She screamed in pain of trying to get rid of the pressure on her head.

Outside the force field they heard an ear splitting scream that rattled their eardrums even through the barrier and chakra in their ears. The shriek was followed by an agonizing scream.

"Sakura!" Both boys called trying to break through the force field surrounding her. Gaara was panicked and Kaguri was breaking his usual state of calm to try to reach her.

Sakura threw a kunai at the woman trying to stop her shrieking. She moved her body to avoid it cutting off her scream. Sakura ran over to her and attempted to slit her throat. She held the kunai up to her neck using her chakra to punch her in the stomach making her cough blood onto Sakura's skirt. She gave a sick sort of grin and Sakura felt a sharp stab in her side and saw a long deep slash from the katana the woman was holding. "If I go down you do too." Sakura punched her in the face and heard the bones snap as she fell to the ground her feet free of the Earth she had been buried in; Sakura used her chakra to punch her once again making her stop moving on the ground. She saw the blood pouring from the wound in her side and applied pressure to it trying to stop the bleeding. She collapsed to the ground next to the woman watching as she died in front of her and the force field began to lift. She saw two figures before her eyes closed.

Gaara saw the force field breaking and Kaguri did as well. When it lifted Gaara and Kaguri's voices mingled into one. "Sakura!" They ran to her and Gaara saw her blood soaked clothes and deep cut on her side. He pulled her pack off her hip and opened it bandaged her stomach placing pressure on it before lifting her into his arms.

"Gen we need to get her to a medical person now she's losing blood." Gaara nodded anger welling up inside of him in such a great quantity he almost couldn't control it. Shukaku was growling and telling him to listen to Kaguri. He jumped into the trees and hurried across them towards the town the fastest he had in his entire life. Kaguri ran alongside him trying his best to keep up.

"Kaguri get help from the village ask if anyone knows medical ninjutsu or knows someone who knows it anything to help her. I'll bring her to a bar we have friends at that will help us. It's called "The Farmer's Rest." Kaguri nodded but Gaara thought he saw a ghost of a question in his eyes and quickly added, "I don't want to be responsible for Lady Tsunade's prize pupil's death." This made him become a bit frightened and hurry away from him towards the town. Gaara ran to the only place he knew he could get help, the bar where they had eaten dinner at. He ran to the door ignoring the snow now falling down quite hard on him. He had his cloak wrapped around Sakura and banged on the door furiously. The bartender came to the door and opened it.

"We're closed! Oh it's you Gen! What's the matter?" Gaara opened his cloak and the bartender saw Sakura being carried in his arms bleeding through her bandage. His eyes widened and he ushered them inside. "Put her here." He said directing him to a table that he cleared off and grabbed a pillow from one of the booths placing it under her head. "What happened?" He said looking at Gaara.

"We were walking in the forest and she went off on a trail by herself saying she would be back in a minute. I heard a scream and I found her like this. Someone attacked her I didn't know where else to go." He looked at her worried and angry at the woman who did this to her. The bartender nodded and got Gaara some water and a cloth. Gaara took off her bandage and placed the wet towel hard against her cut cleaning it. There was a knock on the door and Kaguri burst in with an old woman behind him. She walked over to Sakura and took off the cloth Gaara was holding raising a hand with green chakra up to the cut. It stopped bleeding which was the main problem. She took out a needle and thread and stitched the wound applying fresh bandages to her stomach. The woman looked at Kaguri and Gaara who were standing worried by her side.

"She'll be fine. She needs rest and lucky for you I studied a little bit of medical ninjutsu and was able to use it." She smiled at them and looked at Gaara. "It's free of charge. Your friend cleared that up don't worry." She winked and walked out the door. The bartender looked at Gaara and Kaguri and sighed.

"It's a good thing Nona knows that. You can stay here for a while I'll call the Inn and tell them you are staying here now they'll send you the check so you can pay for it." Gaara thanked him and he nodded. Kaguri told Gaara that he would get their things and come back and he left quickly leaving Gaara to follow the bartender upstairs to his house above the bar and place her in a spare bed in a spare room he had. His wife was immediately helping Gaara and telling him to go get something to eat as she took care of Sakura watching over her like a mother hen. He nodded and thanked them both for their great kindness.

"I will make sure I repay you." The bartender shook his head giving Gaara a glass of tea and a pat on the back as he sat on a bar stool next to him.

"There's no need. You needed a place to stay and we gave it of our own will. I'm sure you and your wife would do the same." Gaara nodded and wanted to tell the man about his true identity but he didn't he just accepted the tea and lifted his mask just enough to drink it. Kaguri came in a few minutes later with their things and brought them up to the room where Sakura was.

"Gen! She's awake!" Kaguri called down the stairs and Gaara walked upstairs resisting the urge to run. He saw here sitting up in the bed as Gaara came in the room. Kaguri was near the bed and Gaara walked over to her.

"How are you Yuri?" He said looking at Kaguri who nodded understanding she was undercover.

"I'm fine we can get moving soon." She said smiling at them as the bartender walked into the room.

"I'm glad to see you are all right Yuri you gave us quite a scare!" She smiled and laughed.

"I'm fine now thanks to you and my brother Kaguri who helped us out. It was so lucky he was in town!" She smiled and Kaguri nodded.

"I heard there was talk of a gang here and was worried about you two so I came here. I didn't want my sister getting hurt so I arrived last night. Unfortunately I didn't help with this." He looked at Sakura. She smiled and swung her legs over the side of the bed and Kaguri and Gaara rushed over to help her up. She shooed them away proving she could walk on her own.

"I'm fine I'm just a bit dizzy." Kaguri and Gaara let go of her and she smiled at the bartender and his wife. "I know you are going to ask us to stay but we have to get back. Kaguri met us last night and told us our village needs us home. I would love to stay you both have been so nice to us! I will come and visit very soon I promise." She smiled and hugged the bartender and his wife who told them to be careful and gave them a good meal before letting them leave the bar. Once outside Sakura faltered and almost fell. Gaara caught her and helped her onto his back looking at Kaguri who nodded carrying their packs as they walked calmly down the street at a swift pace. Once they were out of the town they jumped into the forest and sped quickly through the trees towards Konoha. Sakura had passed out again and they knew they needed to get her proper medical healing. They arrived in Konoha at dark with the snow still falling and Sakura shivering on Gaara's back. He hurried to the hospital with her while Kaguri went to the Hokage tower to give the full mission report and send a group of people to get the bodies of the enemies and clear up the mess in the town explaining to the people what happened. Gaara followed the nurses as they rushed Sakura to a room where they began to heal her completely. He wanted to stay but knew he had to leave so he wouldn't be recognized giving the excuse that he was just an escort before running to Sakura's house where their things were waiting on the front step. He brought them inside her house setting hers in her room and his in his own. He felt so lonely waiting in the house for her to come home that he almost couldn't stand it. He took off his mask and dirty clothing and took a long hot shower to try and ease his mind. He decided he couldn't do it and put on fresh clothes deciding to go over to Naruto's house. Maybe he could help him take his mind off of things. He really needed someone to do that for him now that much was clear.

END OF CHAPTER 32! REVIEWS AS A HOLIDAY PRESENT FOR ME PLEASE!


	30. Chapter 33

Saki- Hey! Isn't this just amazing? I've updated so much this week already!

Gozu- Making up for all those times you forgot to update?

Saki- Yep! Happy Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanza and any other holidays!

Gozu- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 33

Gaara walked up to Naruto's apartment knocking on the door and hearing a rather loud crash before it opened and his blonde friend's face appeared in the door frame. "Gaara? Come on in!" He smiled as Gaara walked inside. A quick glance around told him that his friend had not been expected any company. "Sorry about the mess. Do you want some ramen? It's not as good as Ichiraku's but it still tastes good. But that's probably because it's ramen." He smiled and Gaara did as well trying his best to act like he was alright and not worried sick about the one person he couldn't live without.

"Sure Naruto I'd love some ramen." He nodded and began cooking it. He looked over his shoulder at Gaara.

"So what are you doing here? I know Sakura-chan is on a mission so did you just get bored?" Gaara smiled.

"You could call it that. Wasn't she supposed to be back by now?" Naruto scrunched up his face and then shook his head.

"I never know when she gets back from missions Granny Tsunade tells me so I can go meet her but she hasn't said anything to me yet. I'm sure she'll be back soon. But for now you have her house all to yourself. You're so lucky her house always feels so big and nice. It's the biggest house that doesn't belong to a clan leader or his family." He poured the ramen into two bowls and gave Gaara one before digging into his own. "Her mom died a while ago when she was a young genin in Team 7. Her father died when she was really young. They left her the house and she's had it ever since. It was strange I remember going to her mother's funeral. She didn't cry the whole way through and when the last people left I saw her fall to her knees and cry so hard her body shook. I wanted to go console her but Kakashi-sensei told me I should let her have some time alone with her mom." Gaara watched him as he talked and was glad that Sakura had such good friends that cared about her. He nodded and ate his ramen quietly. Naruto had already finished and grabbed a second bowl full before sitting back down. He had started talking to Gaara about a new jutsu he had perfected when someone knocked on the door. Gaara stood up and Naruto did as well walking to the door to see who it was. Naruto opened it and Gaara saw a ninja standing at the door with a letter in his hand. He gave it to Naruto and then walked away Naruto frowned at the letter and walked back into the kitchen to open it.

"Who is it from Naruto?" Gaara asked looking at the white envelope Naruto was opening.

"It's from Granny Tsunade. Maybe it's about Sakura-chan! Maybe she's coming back from her mission!" He smiled and ripped the envelope open pulling out the letter and reading it quickly his mood falling instantly. "Sakura-chan's in the hospital! She must be really hurt for her to be in the hospital! Let's go Gaara!" Gaara nodded and followed Naruto out the door rushing across the rooftops with him towards the hospital happy to be going to see how Sakura was doing. Naruto burst through the doors to the hospital with Gaara close behind he ran up to a passing nurse and started yelling at her so fast it was almost impossible to understand. Gaara sighed and walked up to Naruto putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from talking to the now frightened nurse.

"Ms. Sakura Haruno's room please." The nurse smiled and nodded saying she was in room twenty. Gaara thanked her and made a babbling Naruto follow him down the hall to Sakura's room. He opened the door and saw Sakura lying on a bed with a blood drip in her arm. Luckily she was sitting up and only got a glimpse of them before a mass of blonde and orange attacked her.

"Sakura-chan! What happened! How'd you get hurt? Who did this to you? I'll kill them!" Sakura laughed and smiled at him.

"Naruto please I'm fine. I just got a little cut up and ran out of chakra its fine. You of all people should know that I can handle myself." She smiled at him and he smiled back. Her gaze then flickered to Gaara who smiled at her. She smiled at him and then turned to Naruto. A nurse walked in the room and smiled at Sakura.

"Ms. Haruno, Lady Tsunade told me that you can go now you will be completely fine."

"Thank you Mai you have progressed very much in your training I think you will become a fine addition to the hospital staff." Mai blushed and bowed thanking her before walking out of the room. Sakura pulled out the blood drip and tied its end before calling nurse to transport it away. She then turned to Naruto and Gaara. "I'll change and be out in a minute." Gaara nodded and Naruto didn't move. Sakura looked at him and motioned for him to leave but he stood there still not understanding. Gaara rolled his eyes and grabbed his arm dragging him out of the room and giving some privacy to his fiancé. Sakura smiled and grabbed her ripped and bloodied clothing that were the only clothes she had in the hospital room. She sighed and slid them on before opening the door and sliding on her cloak to shield her from the cold. Gaara smiled at her when she walked out of the room. His eyes flickered to her finger where her engagement ring lay. The diamond had been turned towards her palm and she slid her arm into her cloak noticing his gaze.

"I'm glad to see you are alright Sakura." Gaara said hating to be formal around her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you for coming to see me Gaara." She walked next to him and Naruto who walked with her out of the hospital and down to her house. "Naruto do you want to get dinner tomorrow? We'll tell the others and we can all go get barbeque." He smiled happily and nodded.

"I'll tell everyone for you Sakura-chan! Just rest easy and let me take care of it!" He smiled and hugged her before calling his goodbyes to them as he walked away. Gaara looked at Sakura and pulled her inside pulling her into a tight but gentle hug burying his face into her pink hair before kissing her neck.

"I don't like seeing you hurt. I couldn't do anything to help not being able to use my sand I was defenseless. I couldn't even protect my mate from enemies! I was so mad Sakura-chan I wanted to help you but I couldn't I promise I won't ever do that ever again." He murmured holding her close as he kissed her forehead. He looked at her and saw a small tear roll down her cheek followed by another. His face fell and he brushed her tears away. "Sakura-chan what is it? What's the matter?" She laughed surprising him and he looked at her his eyes confused and hurt. She smiled and caressed his cheek with her soft pale hand.

"Gaara-kun I'm so happy to be able to hug you again. You did so much for me I knew how hard it must have been without your sand. I knew how much you risked for me. You don't know how much I love you." He smiled and kissed her passionately holding her close and caressing her back. When they broke apart she smiled at him and he took her hand in his and kissed it like a gallant gentleman. "I'll be right back I'm going to shower and change out of these dirty clothes. He nodded and kissed her head before watching her walk down the hall to her room. He sighed and went into the kitchen pulling out steak and noodles to cook her for lunch. He heard the shower running and began to cook the noodles cutting the steak and preparing her meal. A few minutes later the water shut off and Sakura appeared in the kitchen with wet hair and her usual red dress on. She smiled at Gaara and walked over to him.

"Mmmmm something smells good. You didn't have to make lunch you know." He smiled and handed her a bowl of noodles and steak.

"I wanted to really it doesn't bother me. You deserve it for helping those people and hurting yourself just to fight that girl." She smiled and sat down at the table quietly eating her noodles.

"It's really good Gaara-kun! You are a great cook!" She ate it all and then put the dishes in the sink washing them before walking over to the living room and sitting on the couch. Gaara came and sat next to her letting her lean on him while he held her hand.

"Sakura-chan I was thinking that we could get married soon. I want to get married to you and not have to hide to protect you. That mission made me realize that I need to be able to use my sand to protect you. Do you think we could get married in late January? It gives us time to get people used to the idea. I think we should let Tsunade know but not anyone else yet. At least then we can begin the negotiations for either one of us leaving." Sakura smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Gaara I'm willing to marry you right here right now. Late January sounds wonderful." He smiled and nuzzled her neck kissing the kanji that lay there.

"I also wanted to go back to that village and tell them who we really are. I think we owe it to the Bartender and his wife to pay a visit and not deceive them anymore." Sakura nodded and smiled at him.

"I was thinking about that earlier today. I wanted to go back and thank them for being so kind to us." She smiled and twisted the ring on her finger. "Gaara it sounds stupid but can we use this ring as the wedding ring as well? It is special to me." Her emerald eyes looked up at him and he nodded.

"Of course Sakura-chan. Oh and one more thing, I want to tell Shikamaru about us being engaged. I think he might become my brother-in-law if he ever stops dragging his feet and asks my sister out. She likes him but he doesn't know or he's just too lazy to do anything about it." Sakura laughed.

"That's Shikamaru for you! World's Laziest Ninja!" She smiled and he did as well. He kissed her nose and pulled her head towards him kissing her hair. She smiled and blushed a little making him growl and kiss her softly on her lips.

"The more you do that the more it drives me insane." She smiled coyly and kissed him quickly.

"Then you'll have to get used to it." He smiled and picked her up in his arms swinging her around before setting her down on the ground and kissing her temple. He handed her coat and pulled her hat over her hair. She smiled and wrapped his scarf around his neck. He opened the door for her and they walked out into the snow not holding hands and walking far enough apart from each other that it looked like they were just friends. They turned down the street and walked towards Shikamaru's house. Said lazy ninja was on the roof watching clouds. Sakura rolled her eyes and knocked on the door to his house. His mother opened it and smiled at Sakura.

"Sakura! So good to see you!" She looked behind Sakura and saw Gaara standing there quietly. "Oh! Kazekage-sama! What a pleasure to finally meet you! Please come in!" Gaara smiled and walked in with Sakura as Shikamaru's mother took their coats, hats and scarves and hung them up. They took off their shoes and Gaara smiled at his mother. "Kazekage-sama did you need me to get my husband?" Gaara shook his head and smiled at her.

"Please call me Gaara. I'm actually here to see Shikamaru I have some business I need to discuss with him." She nodded and smiled at him.

"I will go get him for you…Gaara." She smiled and walked out of the room to get Shikamaru. Sakura heard a loud crash and Yoshino walked back into the room smiling at them. Shikamaru walked in behind her rubbing the back of his neck and grumbling. He stopped when he saw Gaara and got a straight face.

"Gaara, Sakura, do you need me for something?" Gaara nodded and Sakura looked at Shikamaru.

"I would like to discuss something pretty important with you do you mind if we talk in private." Shikamaru nodded and motioned for them to follow him. They walked down the hall to the shoji room sitting down on the cushions around the table. Shikamaru looked at them and stretched.

"So what is it that you needed to discuss." He looked at Gaara and was no doubt analyzing his movements.

"It's rather delicate and I wanted to talk to you before confronting Tsunade. I was hoping you could help me find a way to present it to her. She might not take kindly to it as it means a bit of a change for Konoha and Suna as well." Shikamaru furrowed his brow and leaned forward.

"So it is a big decision then. It will change Suna and Konoha? That is a big change and you definitely need to be careful when you tell Tsunade. So what's the change?" He looked at Sakura who looked back at him.

"Well I have made an alliance with Konoha." Shikamaru nodded.

"I know that much but that isn't a change since it has been like that since you were first Kazekage. Unless you plan to break that alliance." He furrowed his brow again and stared at Gaara.

"No nothing of the sort I actually intend to make it stronger." Shikamaru nodded.

"That shouldn't be a problem at all you just need to propose that to Tsunade and she will probably go along with it." Gaara nodded.

"I have already suggested that to her and she agreed to it but she didn't know the whole plan. I left out the details." They all looked up as Yoshino walked into the room carrying a plate of tea and smiling at them Gaara smiled back and thanked her. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and she walked back out of the room. Shikamaru picked up his tea and looked at Gaara.

"So what is the proposal you told her?" Gaara set his jaw and looked at Shikamaru.

"I intend to marry someone from Konoha to strengthen the alliance." Shikamaru was a bit surprised by this and chuckled a little giving his trademark smile.

"Well I must say I didn't see this coming. You never seemed like the marrying man but I've misjudged before. So what are the details you left out that might upset her?" He raised the tea to his lips and took a sip as Gaara spoke.

"Well I'm marrying Sakura." Shikamaru choked on his tea and began coughing hitting his chest before looking at Gaara and Sakura who was blushing profusely and looking down.

"You're getting married?" He looked at Gaara who smiled a little and shrugged. Shikamaru froze for a moment his expression one of surprise and utter stupidity then he smiled and started to laugh. "Congratulations you guys!" He smiled and shook Gaara's hand before standing up and hugging Sakura. "I have to say I'm completely surprised I had no idea anything was going on between you." He sat back down and they did as well. He smiled again and chuckled before taking another sip of tea.

"Thank you Shikamaru you're the first person we've told and I was a bit nervous." Sakura said smiling at him blushing a little. He nodded.

"You are worried about telling Tsunade because Sakura is her apprentice and the top nurse at Konoha Hospital. Her leaving will create a large shift in the medical field. Also you are the Kazekage and can't leave Suna." He furrowed his brow again and looked at them both. "I see how this is a huge change. I can help I think. I'll come with you to talk to her. But I think if you say that the bonds will become very strong between Suna and Konoha and it will ultimately be good for everyone then she might be more compliant. Also Konoha has her here in the medical field and Suna doesn't have anyone." Gaara nodded.

"I'm sad to say the hospital is greatly lacking. I've been trying to help but I don't understand. The emergency room is horrible. We lose so many that could have been saved." Shikamaru nodded.

"Well I'll come with you and talk to her. I think we should get it done sooner than later. Oh and Gaara, I was wondering how Temari was doing. Oh and Kankuro of course." He said trying to hide the obvious favoring towards Temari.

"They are both doing well I think they would like to see you. Temari was talking about visiting you soon when I left. She said she was happy to have seen you on her last mission." He nodded and stood up. He looked at Sakura and Gaara and saw them smiling at each other briefly. He smiled and clapped Gaara on the shoulder.

"I feel sorry for you. You'll have to deal with Lee, Kakashi and Naruto." He laughed and Gaara did as well smiling as they pat each other on the back. They were like old friends already. Sakura smiled and walked in between them taking one of their arms in each of her linking them together. Shikamaru smiled fondly at her and Gaara smiled lovingly at her as well. She smiled and laughed.

"Shika can we tell your mom? I mean can she keep a secret?" He laughed.

"Sure she's the best secret keeper in the Nara family and that is saying a lot." Sakura smiled and nodded letting go of Shikamaru's arm and Gaara's as well before walking out of the shoji room and down to the kitchen where Yoshino stopped putting dishes away and smiled at them.

"Oh are you leaving? I hope Shika helped you." Shikamaru leaned against the door frame smiling smugly as Sakura looked at Gaara and then at her.

"Yoshino I wanted to tell you that… I'm engaged to Gaara." She froze for a moment and looked at Shikamaru who nodded grinning smugly. She then squealed and hugged Sakura tightly congratulating them both.

"Oh I can't wait until the wedding! When are you getting married?" She smiled at them holding Sakura's hand and complimenting the ring at the same time.

"Sometime later this month. But Yoshino this has to be a secret no one can know." She nodded and hugged her again before Shika rolled his eyes and pulled them both from his mother's congratulations and towards the door where they all got dressed and waved goodbye to Yoshino before walking out into the snow.

END OF CHAPTER 33! REVIEWSSS!


	31. Chapter 34

Saki- Hello Faithful reviewers, readers and newcomers!

Yoshino- Hello!

Saki-Thank you so much Mrs. Nara!

Yoshino- No problem Saki! She owns no Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 34

"Sakura I'm glad you chose to tell me first. You've become one of my closest friends. I think I would have a problem if you were going to marry someone undeserving of you but I can see that you and Gaara are perfectly matched. I'm happy for you both." He smiled at them and Sakura smiled back giving him a quick hug that caught him off guard.

"Thank you Shikamaru you've always been like a brother to me. The entire rookie nine is like family to me. I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled as Sakura and Gaara continued walking on either side of Shikamaru. They turned up the path to the Hokage Tower and walked up the snow covered steps to Tsunade's office. Once inside they saw Shizune with her head down on the desk fast asleep. Shikamaru smiled and shook his head.

"I would hate to be her when Tsunade sees how are we going to get her up?" Sakura walked over to the desk and stood over her.

"Shizune. Shizunnneeeee!" Sakura called but she didn't wake up she was definitely out of it. Sakura shook her head and looked at Gaara and Shikamaru. "This always gets her up." She smiled evilly and Shikamaru and Gaara were intrigued. "SHIZUNE! NO SLEEPING ON THE JOB!" She yelled in a perfect impression of her Shishou. Gaara and Shikamaru looked at each other a little nervous as Shizune shot up in her chair and began apologizing.

"Lady Tsunade! I'm so sorry I-I was just so tired and I….Oh Sakura-san I'm sorry please don't tell Lady Tsunade." She looked up at Sakura with red cheeks and Sakura merely laughed.

"It's fine Shizune she's got you working too hard." She laughed as Shizune rubbed her neck nervously.

"I assume you are here to see her. She's in her office." Sakura nodded and thanked her. She turned to Gaara and Shikamaru who walked over to her. At this Shizune blushed profusely as she noticed the boys they just smiled at her and nodded.

"Hello Shizune-san." Shikamaru said and smiled walking down the hall to Tsunade's office. Sakura and Gaara followed him and stopped outside of her door. Sakura opened it and smiled at Tsunade who looked up from a stack of mission reports to see Gaara, Sakura, and Shikamaru walk in the room.

"Hello Kazekage-sama, Shikamaru, and Sakura. What is it?" She looked at them with her hands clasped together and her expression serious. Sakura walked up to her desk and stood next to Shikamaru and Gaara. Gaara spoke first.

"Tsunade-sama we are here to talk about the alliance between Suna and Konoha." Tsunade nodded.

"Please sit down all of you." They nodded and sat in the three chairs in front of her desk. "So what is it that you need to discuss? I know you were planning to strengthen the alliance with marriage but how will that honestly strengthen it?" Shikamaru looked at her and then at Gaara.

"Well if there is someone that holds an air of importance here, or a ninja. It would be a good idea to marry that person. Then you have someone with connections to Konoha and knows the people there. They can have an influence on Konoha and Suna in their negotiations. Also the stronger the bonds between villages the better protected their people are." Tsunade nodded and sat back in her chair.

"I see your point in this. It seems like a good idea. Especially if it keeps the people safer." She looked at Sakura who spoke next.

"Shishou we could link medical fields and practices with Suna. They have a lacking medical program and lose people that could be saved. By linking our research with theirs we can create a better medical community between the villages and share research. I know that when I saved Kankuro none of the nurses or doctors knew how to do the basic extraction of poison. The best they could do was try and find an antidote that might work. Some of the things they were trying could have been lethal if I hadn't stopped them from using it. This alliance could help in more than one way." Tsunade nodded and looked at them.

"I see it is a very good idea. So Gaara do you have anything to add?" He nodded and looked at her.

"Well Hokage-sama I have decided who I am going to marry. I actually decided a little while ago but didn't tell you. I have decided to marry someone of great importance to this village that might cause a bit of a shift in the way things work." Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him and laughed.

"Kazekage-sama I hope you don't mean Shizune she is way too old for you!" Gaara chuckled and shook his head.

"No I want to marry someone a bit younger. Hokage-sama I'm going to marry Sakura." Tsunade froze and looked between them. Sakura blushed and looked at her feet too afraid to look at her Shishou. Shikamaru was watching her nervously while Gaara looked at her head on waiting for her to react.

"You're marrying Sakura?" She repeated numbly as the realization sunk in. "Sakura? You're getting married!" She smiled and did the one thing that she would never ever do. Tsunade jumped up and squealed. "I can't believe it you're getting married to Gaara!" She ran over to her student who was standing dumbstruck in front of her desk. Shikamaru looked at her in disbelief and Gaara was rooted to the spot like a statue. She hugged Sakura who pulled herself out of her daze and  
>became wide eyed.<p>

"You mean you're not mad? Even if I have to leave Konoha? It'll be so much different if I leave." Tsunade pulled back and looked at her.

"I know as a Hokage and your Shishou I don't want you to go anywhere. I want you to stay and run the hospital and keep that blonde spazz attack Naruto in line but I knew that one day you wouldn't do that anymore. Naruto will grow up and you will have a life of your own. I've known that. As your friend and someone who thinks of you as her own child I couldn't be happier for you." She smiled and hugged her making Sakura cry a little.

"I'm really like a daughter to you Shishou?" Tsunade nodded and smiled at her.

"You're just like me. I've always wanted a daughter and I think that if you'd let me I'd become your adoptive mother. I've actually been thinking about it for a while. I know your mother died when you were very young. I want to take her place and help you out in life." Sakura smiled and cried a little more still hugging Tsunade.

"Of course you can be my Mom Shishou. You've always been like a mother to me."

Tsunade hugged her back before pulling out of her grasp. She smiled and turned to Gaara. "Gaara if you ever hurt my daughter I will come to Suna and kick your ass all the way to the Akatsuki headquarters. I don't care if you are the Kazekage I'll do it if you lay a finger of hurt on her." He smiled and nodded completely scared of her wrath especially because he knew she would do it if he ever did hurt Sakura.

"I promise I won't ever do that Tsunade. You have my word." She nodded then turned to Shikamaru who was still standing with his mouth slightly ajar in the middle of the room.

"Oh come on you're supposed to be the genius you must have know that I wouldn't be upset about this." Shikamaru nodded and rubbed his neck muttering something that sounded like "troublesome…" They all laughed and Shikamaru shrugged.

"Shishou can you keep this a secret? I mean you know how the Elders are gonna get. Not to mention Lee and Naruto and Kakashi." Sakura said looking at her with a sort of pleading look. She nodded.

"It's your guys job to deal with them I wash my hands of this one. Sorry kids but you're on your own! Shikamaru you can help them with it I'll make it a mission. This is gonna be fun to watch." She chuckled and leaned back in her chair looking between Gaara and Sakura. "I'm happy for you both. Oh hold on let's play a little trick on Shizune for sleeping on the job. I knew she was asleep she's getting a break this week. I'm going to call her in here and you…." Tsunade whispered to the three standing in the room and then sat back in her chair. "Everyone got it? Good. SHIZUNE! GET IN HERE!" She yelled in her best angry voice that could scare the pants off of anyone. They heard rushed footsteps and the door flung open.

"Yes Lady Tsunade!" Shizune stood in the door wide eyed and out of breath. Gaara, Sakura, and Shikamaru looked at her with a blank expression as Tsunade calmly raised her head and stared at her.

"Do you know what they just told me?" She said in a calm voice looking at Shizune who was sweating bullets nervously.

"Uh n-no Tsunade-sama." She stuttered out very afraid of Tsunade's now calm voice. She looked up at Shizune and smiled making her panic even more.

"We have a lot of planning to do. You see there is to be a large event soon and you will need to pull your weight and not sleep on the job." Shizune put her hands in front of her and started to plead.

"Tsunade-sama! I'm so sorry I will never sleep on the job again I will help with anything you need me to!" Sakura started to giggle and Tsunade smiled laughing and standing up walking over to a very confused Shizune.

"It's fine Shizune it was a joke. You're doing fine and I'm giving you tomorrow off. But there is big news. For one I have a daughter!" Shizune looked confused until Sakura smiled at her and put her hand on Shizune's shoulder.

"Oh Sakura-san! This is wonderful! It's just what you need Tsunade-sama!" She smiled and Tsunade nodded.

"Shizune I'm also getting married." Shizune looked at Sakura wide eyed and then hugged her crying happily.

"Oh Sakura! I'm so happy for you! Who's the lucky guy?" She pulled back and looked at Sakura who blushed.

"Gaara." Shizune froze then fainted. Shikamaru caught her and they all laughed.

"She needed to be taught a lesson. Anyways just put her in my chair she'll be up in a minute or two. I'm so happy for you guys make sure you let me help with anything you need." Sakura smiled and hugged her.

"I will Shishou. Oh and Shishou?"

"Yes Sakura what is it?" She said looking at her.

"Well we were wondering if we could go back to the village and tell the bartender who we really are." Tsunade thought about then nodded.

"I owe him for his great hospitality to you give him my thanks." Sakura thanked her and smiled. She smiled back and Sakura called goodbye to Tsunade walking out of her office with Gaara and Shikamaru in good spirits. "So who do you want to tackle first?" She looked at Gaara and Shikamaru who had each taken an arm and were walking with her through the market towards her house.

"We should tell Kankuro and Temari. I'll send them a messenger bird telling them I'm getting married and I guarantee that they will be here in two days time. Shikamaru smiled and looked at Sakura who was smiling happily.

"You know you and Choji are my best friends. Gaara take care of her for me ok?" Gaara looked at Shikamaru and nodded.

"Come on in Shikamaru!" Sakura said walking up her steps ahead of the boys. She opened the door and walked inside with Shikamaru and Gaara behind her.

"Thanks Sakura. So Gaara are you guys going to live in Suna?" He said sitting on the couch. Gaara looked at Sakura who had come back into the room.

"We haven't talked about that yet." He said sighing a little.

"But I already know the answer. Look you're the Kazekage and you can't leave your people I can leave Konoha. Besides they are only three days apart it's easy to come back when I want to. You come to Konoha a lot and I'll come with you. We can take vacations here. I'm gone so much from this house anyways it's as if nobody lives here. I can always let Tsunade stay here instead of in the apartment she's renting. It's really quite simple. I'll move to Suna." Sakura said and Gaara sighed.

"You're right it's just I'd hate to make you leave Konoha." Shikamaru cut in with a sigh.

"She's right Gaara you can't leave Suna. Besides as you've said before the medical program in Suna desperately needs Sakura." Shikamaru smiled at Gaara and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll call the messenger bird for you." He walked over to the door and opened it walking out into the street before making a hand signal. A bird came from the tower in a couple of minutes and landed on his arm. He walked up into Sakura's house and held the bird while Gaara wrote a not to his siblings.

_Kankuro and Temari,_

_Do not be alarmed by this as everything is going well. This is confidential information so please do not share it with anyone and read it in private. I am happy to inform you that I am getting married at the end of this month. I will give you the details later. I will be a little later than expected you understand. _

_ -Gaara_

He marked the letter as secret and tied it to the bird letting it fly away to Suna. They both walked back inside where Sakura was in the kitchen.

"Shikamaru do you want to stay for dinner?" She said sticking her head out into the living room.

"Sure Sakura I'd be glad to." He sat on the couch and began to talk to Gaara as Sakura made a nice soup and dished it out into three bowls. She handed on to Gaara and one to Shikamaru before sitting between them on the large couch.

"Itadakimasu!" Sakura said cheerfully and Gaara and Shikamaru repeated her eating theirs as well.

"This is delicious thank you Sakura." Shikamaru said. Sakura beamed.

"Thank you Shikamaru I'm glad you like it. Oh by the way tomorrow we are all going out to eat do you want to come with us?" He nodded.

"Sure I'd love to." Sakura smiled and Gaara did as well.

"You know Shikamaru I'm glad that you are Sakura's friend and mine as well it makes me feel a little bit better about her safety should she ever come to Konoha alone. You will have to visit us in Suna soon." He nodded to him. Sakura agreed.

"You can come out for the wedding in Suna as well! I know that we'll have to get married in Suna as well since you are the Kazekage but I was hoping to have a private wedding here." She said looking at Gaara.

"Of course we can I understand completely and trust me if I could get out of the official wedding in Suna I would." Shikamaru chuckled and Sakura smiled.

"Weddings are such a pain. I'll come though since it is my best friend's wedding." Sakura smiled and thanked him before picking up his empty bowl and carrying it into the kitchen. When she came back Gaara and Shikamaru were talking about the tensions between the rouges lately.

"They haven't been a problem until now. I heard about the mission Sakura was on and apparently Tsunade is very concerned about an unidentified escort called "Gen" that was with Sakura." Gaara and Sakura exchanged a guilty glance that Shikamaru noticed.

"Oh wow you snuck with her on the mission?" He chuckled and looked at them both. Sakura was blushing and Gaara shrugged.

"I'm glad I went they needed my help. We'll tell Tsunade soon. I think by now she probably knows though." Shikamaru nodded.

"Most likely yes." Sakura looked puzzled and turned to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru do you know the name of the woman the anbu returned with today? The one with the purple hair?" Shikamaru screwed up his face in thought and nodded.

"Tara I believe. She was defected from the Sound a while ago but once worked under Orochimaru. Apparently she wanted to take over Konoha and Suna. Another world conquering person apparently as if there wasn't already enough trouble with Orochimaru. Ibiki is upset that she's dead he wanted to see all of her motives." He shook his head and Gaara nodded.

"She almost killed Sakura so she had a reason to kill her or she would have been killed." Shikamaru nodded.

"I'm glad she's dead for Sakura's sake as well as Konoha's." Sakura nodded.

"Konoha does not need another threat. I can't help but think that both villages will be so much safer with our combined protection. I'm really glad that I can help people but be able to marry for love as well." She smiled at Gaara and he smiled back making Shikamaru smile.

"I'm really happy for you both. I will come back tomorrow if that's all right with you. Since after all we need to discuss how to present this to the elders." He sighed and Sakura scowled a little.

"Those pompous old geezers will get what for if they say anything against it. Shishou will back me up in that. After all she is my adoptive mother." Gaara nodded.

"Kankuro and Temari will also back us up as well as Shikamaru and probably anyone who knows about it. We'll be fine." He put his arm around Sakura's shoulders as they walked Shikamaru to the door and said goodbye to him. He nodded and walked out into the snow covered streets it was dark out and Sakura wondered how long they had been talking. Sakura shut the door and Gaara smiled at her. "Well today was certainly a big day. You have an adoptive mother, we told Shikamaru and his mother we are engaged. We gained the Hokage's approval as well as Shikamaru's and sent a message to my siblings. But one thing is troubling me a little." Sakura looked at him with a confused look.

"What is it?" He looked at her and said calmly.

"Kankuro and Temari will have to stay here. That means that I'll have to stay in the guest room to make things less awkward." Sakura laughed.

"Oh dear that is an issue. Well I have two extra guest rooms that they can stay in. Kankuro can have the room across from yours and Temari can have the one next to mine. This house was built for a large family so I have plenty of room." She smiled and he smiled back. "I'm kind of tired and it's late I think I'm going to go to bed." He smiled and kissed her head.

"Goodnight my Blossom." She smiled and walked down the hall to her room. He yawned noticing the clock in the hallway said ten thirty. It had been a long day and he was definitely tired he walked into his room and changed into a night shirt and black pants before sliding into bed. He wished he was lying next to Sakura but knew that he shouldn't seem to forward. After all they were only engaged. He drifted off into a light sleep and had been sleeping for a while until he heard a shriek. He shot up in bed before racing down the hall and into Sakura's bedroom. She was sitting up in bed hugging her knees and crying. He walked over to her and sat down pulling her close and stroking her hair. "Shh shhh it's ok shhh. What's the matter Blossom?" He looked at her face that had tears streaming down it.

"I-I'm sorry I woke you up I just had a nightmare." His eyes softened and he hugged her wiping her tears away with his sleeve.

"It's fine Sakura-chan what was the nightmare about?" She looked at him and then down at her hands.

"I was fighting that woman again, Tara. She had captured you and Shikamaru and everyone I love. You all were tied up and unconscious. She had me tied up too and kept hitting me. I was begging her to stop to let you all go but she just laughed and then shrieked that horrible scream that made me feel like I was dying. Then you all disappeared and I was all alone with her. She kept shrieking and I was so scared and in so much pain. I woke up and could still hear her shrieking." Gaara held her close and kissed her hair.

"When I was younger I used to never sleep. I couldn't Shukaku wouldn't let me. The rare times I did sleep I had the worst nightmares that tormented me even after I woke up. So I never slept. When I got older they started to go away. After I was captured by the Akatsuki and Shukaku was almost removed I could sleep without any nightmares at all. I can understand how hard it is to have them but I want to tell you something Temari told me. When you wake up remember no matter how hard it is, that it was just a dream and you are completely safe. She was the only one that could even try to calm me down after a nightmare. I want you to know that you are safe. I will never let anything harm you while you are near me." She looked at him and he stared back with his turquoise eyes that comforted Sakura so much. She nodded and he held her not saying anything just holding her close to him.

"Thank you Gaara-kun." He smiled.

"Anything for you my Blossom." He smiled and lay down on then pillow letting her snuggle close to him with her head resting on his shoulder. _"Anything for you Sakura."_

END OF CHAPTER 34! REVIEWS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	32. Chapter 35

Saki- Hey everyone!

Hayate- *Cough* Hope you had a nice Holiday.

Saki- Thanks Hayate I did.

Hayate- She doesn't own any *Cough* Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 35

Sakura felt so much safer between Gaara's strong arms. The nightmares were replaced by Inner who decided that then would be a good time to show up.

_"Awwww what a gallant gentleman Gaara is now!" She cooed. Sakura merely sighed. _

_"Hello Inner what do you want?" Inner pouted._

_"Hey that's not fair I just wanted to talk!" Sakura nodded and sat on the couch next to Inner._

_"So what is it you want to discuss?" Inner smiled happily and looked at Sakura._

_"Well you know I was thinking how much he has changed. Would you ever have thought he could be this different? He's really become quite a gentleman. He actually feels for you and he smiles now. I would have never thought that he of all people would smile. You know I think that you have had a huge impact on him. I'm glad. Oh and I just wanted to say that I'm happy that you are getting married and I'll be here to help you with anything you know on the honeymoon…." Sakura cut her off quickly._

_"Well I'd best be going see you later Inner!" _

Sakura opened her eyes and blinked at the sunlight peeking in from behind the curtain over her window. She was blushing from Inners comment and felt a steady breathing from behind her. She rolled over quietly and saw Gaara sleeping quietly. She smiled and reached up to take a strand of red hair between her fingers. She was studying him. His pale skin and red hair that was the color of blood. The kanji on his forehead that matched her own mark on her neck. The black circles that framed his eyes. Every feature was perfect. Her eyes analyzed every one taking in his quiet sleeping form. The steady rise and fall of his chest seemed to synchronize with her own. She put a hand against his chest and felt his steady heartbeat. It calmed her and she was so lulled by it that she didn't notice his turquoise eyes watching her.

"Hmmm this is a nice way to wake up." He purred making her head snap up to his face. His eyes lazily watched her and a small relaxed smile played on his lips. "Were you watching me sleep Blossom?" He said playing with a pink lock of hair that had fallen into her face. She blushed and averted his gaze.

"Well I didn't want to get up and wake you so I stayed here." He chuckled a little amused at her bashfulness.

"I don't mind Sakura-chan. Don't be so quick to apologize." His calm eyes looked into her emerald ones and she smiled. "You know I don't feel like getting up today I might just want to lay here. I'm quite comfortable." He mused, his fingers tracing her jaw line softly. He moved them down her neck his eyes following and traced the kanji on it. "It suits you. Your pale skin with the bit of red suits you." He looked up at her and stroked her face with the back of his hand. "You are beautiful." She blushed and he smiled his eyes still lazily watching her. "I love that reaction. I don't think I will ever like anything more than that blush." She looked at him her emerald eyes questioning and happy.

"Really? I never thought I would ever in my life hear Sabaku no Gaara say that to me. You've changed Gaara and I like that." She smiled and he leaned in and kissed her softly. He pulled back then moved his hands to cup her face as he kissed her again softly but lingering.

"You've helped me change. You, Suna and Konoha." He whispered and kissed her again. She looked into his turquoise eyes and saw that the hurt was almost gone. She knew that it would always be there but instead his eyes held love and happiness. Something that made Sakura smile. He looked at her amused at her smile and moved to kiss her neck. "Is something funny Sakura-chan?" She shook her head.

"I'm just happy that's all." He lifted his head up and smiled at her.

"Then I am happy as well." Sakura smiled and he caught one of her pink locks in his fingers and moved it behind her ear.

"Gaara-kun do you intend to stay here all day?" He chuckled as she gave him a sideways glance. "I need to get up and get ready for Temari and Kankuro. My future siblings. You can stay here if you'd like." She sat up and swung her legs out of the bed. She was going to stand up when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

"If I'm going to stay you are too. Temari and Kankuro will be here in two more days." He nuzzled her neck and looked at her smile.

"I'm going to go make breakfast come on Shikamaru is going to be here today so we do need to get up." Gaara sighed and kissed her neck.

"Fine I guess we do have to see him and the dinner tonight as well." Sakura nodded.

"Yes so I'm afraid you'll have to leave so I can get dressed." He stood up and kissed her hand.

"I await your return." Sakura laughed and he grinned a cheesy grin before she pushed him out of the room and shut the door. She was smiling and went to take her morning shower in good spirits. Gaara had walked back to his room and walked down the hall to the bathroom that he used before turning on the shower and stepping in. The water was nice and warm. He took a quick shower wanting to change into his clothes before Sakura walked out of her room. He grabbed the towel and dried off his hair smiling at the memory of when he first got here. Sakura had ran into him in the hall after his shower and blushed so much before stuttering and running into her room. 

_"That was one of the first times I actually smiled because of her. When she blushed and ran away." _ He smiled at this memory and wrapped the towel around his waist before walking down the hall to his room. He shut the door and pulled on his clothing. He smelled something sweet and figured that Sakura was cooking.

"Gaara do you like sweet rolls?" She called down the hall and he smiled walking into the kitchen.

"Yes thank you Sakura-chan." She smiled and put three on his plate.

"You're welcome Gaara-kun." He put his arm around her waist and kissed her head making her laugh before she sat down at the table. They ate their food quickly and smiled talking about the weather report on TV and laughing when they heard it was going to snow again.

"Kankuro and Temari are going to be surprised. I don't think they will be accustomed to the cold weather. I've been here for a while and am  
>still not completely accustomed to it." Sakura smiled and laughed.<p>

"I can't wait to see Kankuro walking through the snow in those sandals of his. Do they even own heavy jackets?" Gaara nodded.

"Yes but I doubt they will wear them. They will probably bring them but not wear them until they get here. They've never been to Konoha in the winter. Until now they haven't had a reason to." Sakura smiled.

"Well I hope they will like it. Or at least tolerate it." She smiled and Gaara chuckled. There was a knock on the door and Sakura stood up and opened it smiling when she saw Shikamaru standing there. "Shikamaru come in it's warm in here." He nodded and walked inside hanging his cloak on a peg near the door. Sakura led him into the living room and brought in some tea for all of them before sitting down next to Gaara on the couch across from Shikamaru.

"I've talked to my father about the situation concerning the elders and he thinks that if you already have a set date for the wedding then they will have less of an ability to refuse." Gaara nodded.

"Well what day do you think would be best Sakura?" He said looking at her. She stood up and got her calendar from the kitchen wall.

"Well we want it at the end of January." She pointed to the last two weeks in January and looked at Gaara. "We need time to get things settled and that may take a week. So maybe January 29th?" She looked at Shikamaru and Gaara who were studying the calendar.

"That gives you seventeen days to plan since today is the 12th." Shikamaru said looking at them. Gaara nodded.

"That is fine with me." He smiled at Sakura who beamed.

"Now that that is settled what are we going to need for the wedding?" She looked at Gaara and Shikamaru who shrugged.

"In Suna we do weddings differently. You'll see when we go to the wedding in Suna." Sakura nodded then looked at Shikamaru.

"Well we can talk to Shishou and see what she can help with. I know we need a guest list first and foremost." Shikamaru nodded.

"I assume the entire rookie nine?" Sakura nodded. "And the Sensei's." She nodded again writing them down. "Their immediate families and the Hokage of course." He continued.

"Don't forget Tsunade and Jiraya. Oh and Gaara do you think we could invite Kaguri? He helped us so much." He nodded.

"He saved your life so of course." They all looked at the list and added Temari and Kankuro.

"Well it isn't small but it's our friends and that is what matters." Sakura said with a smile. Gaara smiled as well and Shikamaru nodded. "When we tell Kakashi I'd like for him to give me away since he's always been like a father to me." Shikamaru nodded.

"He'll like that I think." Sakura smiled.

"So Shikamaru would you like to go for a walk? I want to see Choji I haven't seen him in quite a while." Shikamaru nodded.

"Sure I'm always happy to see him. Gaara you're coming with us right?" He nodded and they all headed to the door pulling on cloaks, coats and boots before venturing out into the snow. It was cold and Sakura could feel the change in air pressure signaling that weather was on the way. She smiled and breathed in the cold air. She smiled at her friend Aiko who waved to her from her store.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" A loud voice broke the calm atmosphere as a blonde haired orange and black blur ran through the street and basically tackled Sakura into the snow.

"Naruto what are you doing?" Sakura hissed her temper rising.

"Hiding from Konohamaru don't let him see me!" He tried to hide behind Sakura who was very annoyed.

"Naruto go hide behind a building or something not behind me!" She turned and walked away with Gaara and Shikamaru leaving Naruto calling after them.

"Sakura-chan! Hey!" Shikamaru shook his head and Sakura tsked.

"Troublesome." Sakura nodded. Gaara was annoyed as well at Naruto practically attacking Sakura.

"Well Choji's house is up ahead." Shikamaru said looking at Gaara and Sakura who nodded. Sakura smiled.

"I haven't seen him since Christmas this will be nice." They walked up the path to his house and knocked on the door. His mom answered it smiling at them all.

"Oh Sakura! Shikamaru! Come in all of you! I just finished making some cookies would you like some?" She smiled and held a tray out to them and they each took one thanking her.

"We were here to see Choji is he here?" Shikamaru said smiling. She nodded.

"He's outside near the pine trees." They thanked her and walked out the door and around to the back of the house. Choji was sitting in the snow under a tree munching on a cookie when Shikamaru and Sakura came walking across the yard with Gaara next to them.

"Oy Sakura Shikamaru! Oh Kazekage-sama!" He stood up quickly and walked over to them looking serious. "What is it? Is there something wrong?" Shikamaru smiled and shook his head.

"No we are just here on a visit." Choji rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

"Eh I guess I'm just not used to seeing you around here without something going on Kazekage-sama." Gaara smiled and shook his head.

"Please call me Gaara." Choji froze then smiled nodding.

"Ok Gaara. So Shikamaru do you guys want to go get some lunch? Naruto said we were all going out for barbeque tonight but I figured we could get some ramen from Ichiraku's now if you'd like." He smiled and Sakura did as well nodding.

"Sure Choji! I haven't been to Ichiraku's in a while. I was on a mission recently and was thinking about going there when I got back." Choji smiled and they all walked back to the front of the house and out onto the street. They walked to the market street and walked into Ichiraku's sitting on the stools. Choji and Sakura sat on the left of Gaara with Shikamaru on the right. Sakura and Choji were laughing together and Gaara was talking to Shikamaru. They had already ordered some ramen and were eating it happily.

"Sakura I heard you were in the hospital what happened?" Choji said to her and Gaara and Shikamaru turned towards them.

"Well I was injured on a mission and ran out of chakra to heal myself. I lost a lot of blood and they just needed to heal me up better. It was fine." She smiled at him and Choji nodded.

"I'm glad you're all right now I can't have one of my best friends hurt." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Thanks Choji that means a lot to me." Gaara and Shikamaru smiled and they all continued to eat their ramen laughing at Choji's jokes. When they had all finished and paid for the ramen they parted ways saying that they would see each other later. Sakura and Gaara waved goodbye to Shikamaru and Choji who walked the other direction down the street towards their homes. Gaara and Sakura decided to go down to the river and watch the children skate. They sat on a bench and saw children laughing and playing on the ice. One little girl saw Sakura and suddenly smiled skating over to her and running up to her and Gaara.

"Hey! You're the lady that fixed my knee when I fell!" She smiled at Sakura and Sakura smiled back.

"Oh I remember you how are you?" She said smiling as the little girl grinned.

"I'm great! My name's Cho by the way." She stuck out a small hand and Sakura shook it smiling.

"Nice to meet you Cho I'm Sakura." The little girl's eyes widened and she smiled even more.

"Oh wow! The Hokage's apprentice! My mom told me about you she said you were really nice and always helped her when she was sick!" Sakura was flattered by the little girl's compliment and smiled at her.

"I'm happy to help anyone who is sick or hurt it's my job." Cho smiled and pointed to the ice.

"Do you want to come skate?" Sakura looked at Gaara who smiled.

"Sure let me get a pair of skates and I'll come with you." Cho smiled then looked at Gaara.

"He can come too." She smiled and Sakura turned to Gaara who smiled and stood up walking with Sakura to get some skates with a happy Cho who bounded in front of them. They walked to the place to rent skates and got a pair before putting them on and following Cho onto the ice.

"Momma, Daddy! Look who I found!" Cho said skating over to a woman with brown hair that was skating next to a tall man. They both stopped as Cho stopped next to them and pointed to Sakura and Gaara who were smiling at them both.

"Hello I'm Sakura Haruno." She said smiling. The woman and the man were surprised and stopped skating to talk to her.

"Oh Ms. Haruno I'm sorry about Cho she gets so excited when she sees someone she knows." Sakura smiled at her and shook her head.

"It's fine she was very polite and friendly." Cho smiled up at her father who picked her up in his arms.

"She has been talking about how you healed her ever since Christmas. We wanted to thank you for being so kind to her." Sakura smiled.

"It was no problem at all it's my job." Cho's mother smiled.

"Well we must be going it was nice talking to you and thank you again for helping her." Cho's mother smiled at them and waved goodbye. Cho hugged Sakura before skating away with her mother and father. Sakura smiled as she watched them and turned to Gaara.

"What a nice family." He smiled at her and took her hand in his skating across the ice and under the bridge where he proposed to her.

"So Sakura-chan what time do we have to go to dinner?" Sakura looked at him and smiled.

"I think around five so we have about three hours before we have to go. He smiled and nodded as she dropped his hand and skated away from him across the ice he chuckled and skated after her catching up to her and spinning her in a circle before they broke away and skated next to each other both a little upset that they couldn't hold hands for fear someone would see.

_"Well we will be married in seventeen days and then there will be nothing to hide." _Gaara thought as he watched Sakura's graceful form glide past him on the ice. He smiled and followed her across the river. They skated for about two hours laughing and talking while absentmindedly skating around the ice. Sakura sat down on the bench next to Gaara and unlaced her skates before putting on her boots and walking with him to return their skates to the rental place and walking up the path and into town. They browsed around in the market for a while before heading towards the barbeque place for dinner.

"Sakura, Gaara!" Lee called happily waving to them from his place outside the restaurant. Tenten and Neji were standing next to him. Tenten smiled when she saw Sakura and walked up to her.

"Hey Sakura how are you doing? We all heard from Naruto that you were in the hospital I'm glad you made a full recovery." Sakura thanked her and they all walked inside and got a table. A few minutes later Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji showed up. They all sat down at the table and said hello to everyone. Gaara was sitting next to Sakura and Lee on her other side. Tenten was next to Neji and Shikamaru sat down next to him. Choji and Ino sat down and Naruto sat next to Gaara. A few minutes later Shino, Kiba, and Hinata showed up completing the group. They all talked to each other laughing and checking over the menu before ordering. They all ordered the barbeque and went back to talking.

"Oy Sakura what was Granny Tsunade talking about when she said that she had a daughter to Kurenai today?" Everyone at the table stopped talking and looked at Sakura. Shikamaru and Gaara smirked.

"Well Sakura is her adopted daughter." Shikamaru said lazily smirking at everyone's reactions.

"Awesome that's so cool Sakura!" She nodded as everyone's food came and they started eating making small talk about everything that was going on and laughing at jokes they were telling. Even Shino and Neji seemed to be enjoying themselves.

END OF CHAPTER 35! NEXT CHAPTER WILL CONTINUE THE DINNER! REVIEWS PLEASE!


	33. Chapter 36

Saki- Mmmm I'm hungry!

Itachi- I can make you dinner Saki-san.

Saki- How kind of you Itachi-san!

Itachi- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products. Or soup apparently when was the last time anyone went to the store in this whole base….

Chapter 36

"Sakura I think your mom would have been happy that Tsunade became your adoptive mother." Tenten said happily and Hinata nodded.

"Y-yes S-Sakura she would have liked that." She stuttered out and went back to eating. She was always nervous around Naruto. He was chatting to Kiba happily and they were making jokes back and forth and laughing. Kiba was still laughing as he turned to Gaara.

"So Gaara how much longer are you going to be in Konoha?" Kiba said eating a hunk of steak speared on his chopstick.

"A while longer my siblings are on their way from Suna I have some business I am still working on." Kiba nodded.

"So Temari and Kankuro are coming. Where will they be staying?" Lee asked.

"At my house I've got plenty of room." Sakura said and Lee nodded.

"I'll have to stop and say hello I haven't seen them in a long time." Sakura smiled and nodded. They all talked for a while longer eating sweet rolls for desert and laughing when Shino tentatively bit into one before saying that he enjoyed it and had never had one that good before. They all talked for a while longer. Before Ino stood up and grabbed her coat.

"Hey guys I'm going to head home my mom has me working early at the flower shop tomorrow." Ino said goodbye to everyone and paid for her dinner before leaving. Shino and Neji took this as an advantage and left right behind her. Hinata said goodbye to everyone and explained that Neji was walking her back to the Hyuga compound. Sakura nodded and waved goodbye to her as she left. The rest of them paid for their dinners and walked out into the snow laughing and calling goodbye to each other as they all walked their separate ways back home. Gaara took Sakura's hand and pulled her close as they walked back in the dark. They turned down to her street and walked up into her house. They walked inside and looked at the clock. It was almost nine and dinner had gone on a lot longer than expected. Not to mention they did stop a lot on the way home and prolong their walk.

"So are you going to come into my room tonight or stay in your own?" Sakura teased making Gaara smiled.

"Hmm one last night with you then I'll be stuck in my own room for seventeen days." Sakura smiled and he kissed her lightly. "I'll go get changed and meet you there." He walked into his room and shut the door before pulling on a black nightshirt and pants. He walked down the hall and knocked on Sakura's door. She opened it and he grabbed her waist kissing her again. She smiled and he picked her up in his arms before laying her on the bed and crawling in on his own side. She snuggled up next to him immediately and stared into his turquoise eyes.

"I love you Gaara-kun goodnight." She whispered and he smiled.

"I love you too Sakura-chan goodnight." He wrapped his arm around her small figure and she put her hand against his firm chest feeling his heartbeat and letting it lull her to sleep. He closed his eyes and thought of how much he couldn't wait until they were married and living in their own house where he didn't have to worry about being secret anymore.

_"Not to mention the honeymoon." _Shukaku growled and Gaara smirked.

_"I'll think about that once we're married but for now I'm content with this." _Shukaku growled and Gaara smirked before falling into a deep sleep. He was jarred out of his sleep by a high pitched beeping noise.

"Gaara can you shut that off?" Sakura mumbled into his shirt. He sighed and rolled over shutting off the alarm clock. As he rolled back over he smiled at her pink hair mussed from sleeping and her emerald eyes sleepily watching him.

"Why is that thing on anyways?" He asked a sleepy Sakura.

"Well I need to get ready for Kankuro and Temari. Also I have no idea what time they are going to get here and it would not be a good thing for them to find you in my room." She said yawning and stretching. Gaara sighed and kissed her surprising her and making her smile.

"I'll make breakfast this morning and you can get ready yourself." He said softly brushing her hair back away from her face. She smiled and nodded.

"Ok I'll be out in a few minutes." He smiled and kissed her forehead before getting up and walking out of the room shutting the door behind him. Sakura sighed and took off her top and pants throwing them into the hamper in her closet along with her panties and bra. She undid the clasp on her necklace and smiled as the sand happily swirled faster at her touch. She set it on the counter and turned on the shower stepping into the warm water. She was comforted by it and couldn't help but feel the same feeling of safety she felt in Gaara's arms. She smiled and rubbed the cherry shampoo into her pink hair letting the water wash away any worries she had. Her future siblings were coming to her house and she had to be ready. She washed her body quickly and shaved her legs quickly before turning off the water and stepping into the chilly air wrapping her towel around her and drying off quickly before blow drying her hair and putting the necklace back on around her neck. She grabbed another one of her high collared shirts that were becoming almost second nature to her. The red dress that she bought on her mission still hung in her closet and she smiled.

_"You should wear that soon. For some dinner or something." _Inner chimed in Sakura nodded.

_"I think I will Inner."_ She smiled and shut her closet blushing when she saw the scroll full of lingerie roll out of its hiding spot on a shelf under some of her old sweaters. She picked it up and put it into the same spot again before turning around and pulling on her bra and top before sliding into a pair of long black pants that were just like her usual shorts and pulled on a white skirt that had a slit up the side. They sort of looked like her usual medic shorts without the pockets. She smiled and walked out of her room and into the kitchen where Gaara handed her a plate with an omelet on it. He had changed out of his night clothes and was smiling at her.

"I hope you're hungry." He said as she sat down at the table and began to eat it.

"You never cease to amaze me this is delicious!" She smiled at him and he smiled back as she finished it off and put the plate into the dishwasher. "Now let's get the rooms ready for their arrival. Gaara rolled his eyes but smiled and followed her to the guest room across from his. "Now I have the bed made and everything all the time just make sure that it isn't too dusty or anything." Gaara smiled and nodded as she walked out of the room and down the hall into the room that would be Temari's. After he had deemed the room dust free he walked into the living room where Sakura was already straightening up the couches and wiping off the table.

"You know I think they might be here soon." She looked at him and smiled.

"Well I'm ready if you are." He nodded and smiled taking her hand and kissing it.

"Of course I am." She smiled as a knock on the door jarred them out of their thoughts. Sakura went to open it and found a messenger ninja at the door.

"Ms. Haruno the Kazekage's siblings are wondering where he is staying. Lady Tsunade is unavailable right now so I came here." Sakura shook her head. Leave it to her Shishou to make her deal with this.

"Tell them he is staying at my house since I am the Hokage's apprentice and the Hokage had nowhere else to put him." The messenger nodded and left quickly jumping across the rooftops towards the Hokage tower. Sakura turned to Gaara who was chuckling leaning against the doorframe in the hallway.

"Leave it to Kankuro and Temari to have no idea where I am. They are never sure where I am half of the time even when I'm in Suna. Trying to find me in Konoha must be near impossible to them." Sakura laughed.

"Well I have a feeling they will be here soon." Sakura walked down the hall and sat on the couch. Sure enough a few minutes later they heard a knock. Sakura stood up and opened the door to see Temari arguing with Kankuro. They both stopped when they saw her and grinned.

"Sakura! It's so good to see you!" Temari hugged her and Sakura smiled.

"I'm so happy to see you guys again! Come on in out of the cold." They thanked her and walked inside with their clothing in packs they were carrying. She told them to set them near the door and they nodded putting them down and taking off their coats hanging them on the pegs near the door. Gaara stood in the hall and smiled at them both.

"You look like you are cold. It's a lot different than Suna in the winter." Temari looked at him and smiled. Kankuro merely laughed.

"You would know brother you seem to be comfortable." He shrugged as Temari hugged him.

"Sakura how have you been? I hope he hasn't been a bother." Kankuro said turning to her.

"No he's been very kind and helpful and I'm doing very well thank you." She said and he smiled.

"That's good to hear." He turned to Gaara "So what's this we heard about you?" He said and Gaara shot a glance at Sakura.

"Come into the living room and I'll explain." He turned and walked into the living room followed by Temari and Kankuro who sat on the couch across from him and Sakura. "As you know Suna and Konoha have an alliance with each other. I plan to strengthen this alliance with marriage." Temari nodded.

"I never ever in my life thought that my little brother would be getting married." Temari said shaking her head. "Kankuro and I didn't believe it when you sent the letter he said you'd gone insane." Gaara laughed.

"Well it will be much better for both villages this way not to mention that I'm actually marrying for love and won't be forced into some arranged marriage with some Feudal Lord's daughter. I think that if that happened the alliance might break." Kankuro laughed heavily at this and Temari hit him on the arm to stop him.

"I can't believe my brother said he is marrying for love this is just getting better and better!" He smiled and looked at Gaara. "So how will this strengthen the alliance? I mean marrying some girl from another village is great and all but she needs to be able to have some sort of influence over the people and be in some position of power…" He trailed off and looked at Gaara with a look of horror. "Please tell me you aren't marrying Granny Hokage." Sakura scowled at him and Gaara did as well.

"No Kankuro I am not marrying Lady Tsunade. I am marrying someone else." Kankuro let out a sigh of relief and Temari looked at Gaara.

"So who are you marrying?" He shifted a little and looked at them both.

"I'm marrying Sakura Haruno." Temari and Kankuro's jaws fell open as they looked between a blushing Sakura and a smiling Gaara.

"Seriously? You guys are getting married! You're going to be my sister!" Temari practically shrieked as she hugged Sakura and Kankuro laughed heavily.

"Nice one Gaara she's a great choice! If you hadn't snatched her up I think I would have." He smiled and pat his brother on the back.

"She has a great influence on the people already not to mention being the Hokage's student and her adoptive daughter." Temari and Kankuro were surprised by this and looked at Sakura.

"Lady Tsunade's your adoptive mother?" She nodded and they smiled.

"This is so amazing not only is my little brother getting married to one of my best friends but my mother-in-law is the Hokage." Temari smiled at them both and lifted up Sakura's hand gushing over her ring.

"You did good Gaara." Kankuro said and he hugged Sakura as well. "Now I get to have a cute little sister to bother." She smiled and Kankuro grinned putting his arm around her shoulder.

"You should be careful with that cute little sister Kankuro because she can really pack a punch." Temari said and pulled Sakura over to her instead. "Don't be afraid to hit him as hard as you can if he bothers you he'll heal eventually." She grinned and Sakura laughed.

"Well you guys must be hungry why don't we go get some lunch and I'll tell you about something we need your help with." Temari and Kankuro agreed and put their coats back on as Kankuro cursed the snow and slid a pair of boots on instead of his sandals.

"You should have seen him when he first saw the snow in the forest. He was all "Snow doesn't bother me!" Then after about an hour his toes started to turn blue and we had to stop so he could wrap bandages around them to keep warm." Gaara and Sakura laughed as Kankuro rolled his eyes and looped his arm around Sakura's. Gaara looked at him and Temari and rubbed his neck a little nervous.

"We should have told you that the only other people that know are Shikamaru and his family and the Hokage. It's a secret until we tell the elders. That's what we wanted to talk to you about when we get to the restaurant." They nodded and Kankuro grinned.

"Well then we can really throw people off the trail by letting me escort my little sister to the restaurant." Temari hit him and he glared at her making her laugh before they walked out into the snow. It was lightly snowing and Sakura smiled catching a snowflake on her tongue. They all walked down the street as Kankuro talked to Sakura about the new poison he was making for his puppets.

"I remember that Sasori had poison on his that almost killed me and I figured I could use poison on mine to help me when I fought." Sakura nodded and they continued talking with Gaara walking close to her on her other side. Sakura led them into a small restaurant that served what she deemed to be "the best soba in town." Kankuro smiled and walked inside laughing with Sakura next to him. Gaara rolled his eyes and Temari merely smiled sitting down at a table and sliding into the booth next to Sakura. Gaara and Kankuro sat on the other side and picked up the menu scanning what they had.

"Hello Sakura-san what will you have today?" The waitress asked her smiling.

"I'll have the Tanuki Soba please Kari." She nodded.

"And for you?" Temari looked at her and smiled.

"The same as her please." Kari nodded and turned to Kankuro.

"I'll have the Kitsune Soba please. Is it hot in here or is it just me?" He gave her a dashing smile and she pretended not to notice.

"I'll have the Tanuki Soba as well." Gaara said handing her the menu and nodding. She smiled at all of them except for Kankuro and walked away towards the kitchen. Sakura looked at Temari and snickered. They then both burst out into laughter and Kankuro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah I know." Gaara was chuckling at this point and Sakura turned to Kankuro and smiled.

"I'm sorry but it's kind of funny that you were just trying to flirt with a married woman. Especially one that's pregnant." Kankuro's eyes widened and he looked down at the table with his head in his hands. Temari was laughing hysterically and Sakura smiled at him.

"Oh come on Kankuro can't you take a joke?" He looked up at Sakura who was smiling and laughed.

"Good one Sakura." Gaara smiled at her and she smiled back her emerald eyes so happy and bright. He looked at Kankuro who was declaring he knew it was a joke and Temari who was rolling her eyes.

"Sure Mr. Romeo." He smiled and thought of how nice it all seemed. It was all so natural, like they had always had Sakura in their lives. Looking at her smiling face next to Temari and hearing her tease Kankuro made it seem like she _had_ always been a part of their lives.

"Here you go." Kari walked up to their table and put four steaming bowls of soba on the table in front of them. "I hope you like it. You aren't from Konoha are you? I mean I haven't seen you around town before. I have met almost all of Ms. Haruno's guests." She said looking at Gaara and Kankuro before turning to Sakura and Temari.

"Kari let me introduce you to the Kazekage and his siblings." Kari's eyes widened a little as Kankuro smiled at her.

"Oh it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm sorry if I seemed a bit out of place with the comment of you not being from around here." Gaara shook his head.

"It's completely fine I'm impressed that you noticed that we were a bit out of place here. In Suna it is always warm except at night and we aren't really accustomed to the cold weather of Konoha in winter quite yet." Kari nodded and smiled.

"Well I hope you enjoy your meal!" She picked up her tray and walked away.

"She's quite observant is she a ninja?" Sakura shook her head.

"She helps me in the hospital occasionally and had basic medic training. We are taught to be observant and she probably noticed that you were a bit uncomfortable because of the cold when we first walked in." They nodded and Temari smiled.

"Well I'm hungry and this food looks delicious! Itadakimasu!" They all repeated her and began to eat their soba.

"This is amazing!" Kankuro said with a mouth full of soba. Temari agreed nodding.

"We should come here every time we are in Konoha!" She said happily. Gaara and Kankuro nodded.

"I'm glad you like it it's one of my favorite places to eat." Sakura said smiling as she ate her own soba. They all ate in silence for a while with the occasional questions from Kankuro about the weather in Konoha. Eventually they all finished eating and paid the bill. They all refused Sakura's offer of paying for them and paid for their meals as well as hers.

"You'll have to get used to it Sakura you're part of the family now. Well almost." Kankuro said smiling. She grinned back at him and waved to Kari before walking out into the snow.

"You know what I'm feeling rejuvenated and a bit invincible right now what say we go tackle the elders? We'll have to do it sometime and I have a feeling Lee and Naruto will be about ten times harder than those old geezers so it will be good practice." She looked at the others who were standing a bit dumbstruck in the snow.

"Whoa you really could be genetically related to the Hokage. Are you sure you aren't like her niece or something? That totally sounded like something she would say." Sakura shrugged.

"She taught me everything she knows." She smiled and Kankuro threw his arm around her shoulders.

"Let's go then I'm looking forward to schooling those old prunes they were getting all up in my face back in Suna and if they are anything like the Suna elders then this will be fun." Gaara rolled his eyes and pushed Kankuro's arm off of Sakura's shoulders and transported her to the nearest rooftop with his sand instantly.

"Come on then Kankuro you're behind." He grinned at Gaara and jumped up onto the rooftop with Temari and they sped across the roofs to the Hokage tower. They climbed the steps and looked at each other smiling.

"Let's talk to Shishou and then we can go." They all nodded and walked into the tower smiling and excited.

END OF CHAPTER 36! CLIFF HANGER-ISH! REVIEWS FOR THE AMAZING CHAPTER! XD


	34. Chapter 37

Saki- Hello Hidan have you come back just to complain some more?

Hidan- No I'm sorry about last time Saki-chan.

Saki- So you'll say the lines and not complain?

Hidan- Saki-chan doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki- Thank you Hidan!

Chapter 37

Gaara and Kankuro followed Sakura as she knocked on the door to Tsunade's office. "Come on in Sakura." She opened the door and walked in with Temari and Kankuro right behind her and Gaara at her side. "Ah so they got here safely good. How are you Kankuro, Temari?"

"Very well thank you. We need your help actually Tsunade-sama." Temari said. Tsunade laughed.

"With the elders? I said I wasn't getting involved but I will come and provide backup should you need it. Though with Gaara being the Kazekage and you being my student and my daughter I doubt there will be much room for argument." Sakura smiled.

"Shishou I think that we can whip them easily it just helps if you are there for backup should we need it." She nodded and smiled standing up.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She walked up to Sakura and smiled. She grabbed her arm walking out of the office with a smile on her face as she was practically dragging Sakura across the floor. They got outside and she jumped across the rooftops with Sakura next to her keeping pace with the Hokage and followed by Kankuro and Temari. Gaara took Sakura's hand and gave it a squeeze before smiling and jumping down next to Tsunade in front of the elder's council building. They all walked inside and startled the receptionist that was busy lounging in her chair.

"Hokage-sama! Kazekage-sama!" The startled girl said standing up and bowing to them clumsily.

"Settle down Jan. We need you to call the elders to council there is a matter that must be discussed with them."

"Hai Hokage-sama!" She ran out of the room and they all heard a loud gong followed by more answering it. Jan returned and Tsunade nodded to her as she sat back down behind her desk and the others waited. In a matter of minutes Jan picked up the phone near her desk and nodded. "The council will see you now." Gaara looked at Sakura who seemed a little nervous and smiled. She smiled back and stood up with a very determined look in her eyes.

"Come on guys let's get this over with in time for dinner." She smiled and walked through the large doors into the room where the elders all sat on a raised platform. Sakura and the others filed in and stood in front of them bowing to them in respect before straightening up and looking at them.

"Hokage-sama, we understand that you called this meeting together. For what purpose did you request it?" Tsunade looked up at them and smiled.

"The Kazekage needs to speak to you about an issue concerning the treaty between Suna and Konoha." The head council member turned to Gaara who looked up at them with a serious almost challenging expression.

"Kazekage-sama what of the treaty between Konoha and Suna?" He said with a hint of venom in his voice.

"I intend to strengthen it through a bond of marriage. The two countries will not only be joined by a written treaty but a bond between me and a member of Konoha." The elders all turned to each other in a bit of shock and started discussing things in hushed voices. After a minute of this the elder to the left of the head elder, a lady with a pair of red glasses, looked at them.

"We are open to this discussion but fail to see how a simple marriage will unite the countries any further." Gaara nodded and spoke again.

"I am marrying someone that holds a high position in Konoha and has influence here over the people as well as ties to the Hokage and all of the ninja in Konoha." This sent the elders talking again and Gaara nodded to Sakura who nodded back. "I am going to marry Ms. Sakura Haruno." The elders stopped talking for a moment before beginning a hushed conversation with each other shooting glances at Sakura who was practically glaring at them. The high elder finally turned back to them and looked at Sakura and Gaara.

"We all agree that Ms. Haruno holds a great position in Konoha especially in the medical field. We also know that she is the student of the Hokage. She however is still a valuable part of Konoha and we are hesitant to let her leave." Sakura stepped forward and so did Tsunade.

"Suna's medical program is far less advanced then ours even the simplest of poison extraction and antidote making fail there almost resulting in the death of the Kazekage's brother Kankuro." At this Kankuro looked up and nodded. Gaara was impressed and very content at watching Sakura's sudden surge of power. He felt her anger and chakra raising and swirling and was enjoying it immensely. Sakura gave the elders another glare and began talking again. "Furthermore their hospital protocol is at an almost basic level and they lack the necessary training to save those that we here can and do save daily. They have no one to set the standards for them while here we have one of the Legendary Sannin that is the most skilled medical ninja in perhaps the entire world. We are lucky enough to have her here! Now you are saying that I can't leave and help them because Konoha needs my skills?" At this Tsunade spoke up her voice just as powerful and forceful as Sakura's.

"My student is as powerful as me and is almost matched in my skill yet she is here where we don't need her. I can take care of the medical field here with ease as it is already at the highest standard and is functioning perfectly. Sakura is more than qualified to run an entire program and medical field by herself and in Konoha she has no more chances to do that. I watch her in the hospital helping out where she isn't needed when in Suna people are dying where they can be saved! She is needed there and there is no question about that!" The elders knew that they were outmatched with both Sakura and Tsunade's rage building against them. They nodded and began discussing again and turned back to Sakura and Gaara again.

"We have decided that this is a great idea and are prepared to follow through and strengthen the bond between our nations. We wish you both great happiness and look forward to further bonds between our nations." Gaara and the others bowed with Sakura and Tsunade merely nodding before walking out of the room with smug grins on their faces.

"Great job you two!" Jan said happily when she saw Tsunade and Sakura. "Another job taken care of!" She said smiling at Sakura and Tsunade.

"Thank you Jan I think that was the smoothest negotiation I've been to yet." Tsunade said smiling.

"Knowing you Shishou that probably was. At least we didn't have to break anything this time." They laughed and Kankuro beamed at them both.

"Can you come to Suna and do that to our old geezers? That was amazing! My little sis has spunk!" He put an arm around Sakura's shoulder again and Sakura smiled as Temari high fived her. Gaara smiled walking up to her and putting an arm around her waist.

"You were incredible. Both of you were." He smiled at Tsunade and Sakura as they waved goodbye to Jan and walked out of the building.

"Well that was the easy part. Now for the hard part, telling my friends." Gaara shrugged.

"Shikamaru was easy enough how hard can they be?" Sakura laughed.

"Try telling Naruto and Lee. I think you'll need your sand just to be safe." They all laughed and Tsunade said goodbye to them all before walking back to the Hokage tower.

"Temari I know that Shikamaru wanted to see you." Temari looked up and Sakura saw a sudden gleam in her eyes.

"He did? Why?" Sakura smiled as she tried to not sound excited.

"Oh he just said he hadn't seen you in a while and wondered how you were doing." Temari nodded trying her best to suppress her obvious smile and joy at this.

"Well I'll go and say hello to him then. Do you want me to meet you somewhere for dinner?"

"No it's fine I have some leftovers in the fridge that you are welcome to if you get hungry. I am actually going to Naruto's and no doubt he will want to drag Gaara and I out to Ichiraku's." Temari laughed. "Oh Temari Shikamaru's house is down the road and follow the smaller road left to the edge of town and you'll see a gate that leads to a house in the forest part of Konoha that's inside the village walls. Knock on the door and say you are a friend of Sakura's." Temari nodded and smiled at her.

"Well I'll go see Konoha's laziest ninja and say hello. I'll see you guys later." She waved to them and walked down the road towards Shikamaru's house. Kankuro was walking next to Sakura and Gaara quietly shuffling through the snow. Gaara looked at Sakura before whispering something in her ear. She nodded and looked at Kankuro.

"Kankuro I was wondering if you could go see if Kiba and Akamaru are at the Inuzuka compound. When you find them can you tell Kiba that I want to talk to him, Choji, Shino and Neji?" Kankuro smiled and nodded happily. Obviously glad to go do something other than walk through the cold.

"Do you want me to get Lee and Naruto too?" She shook her head.

"I need to tell them separately or I think they might just go on a rampage." Kankuro laughed and nodded. "The Inuzuka compound is on the left side of town by itself. It's separate from the town and the biggest compound. I think you'll find it easily enough. Go to the main house and ask for Kiba." He nodded.

"Where do you want me to bring them to?" Sakura looked up at Gaara.

"Ichiraku's at around five but don't tell them anything. Just say Sakura needs to talk to them." Kankuro nodded.

"I'll meet you guys at Ichiraku's then." He smiled and jumped to the nearest rooftop before jumping away. Gaara turned to Sakura and smiled. She smiled back looking up into his turquoise eyes that she loved so much.

"Well we are getting married." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"We are getting married." He smiled and walked with her down the snow covered street watching as the snow fell around them. "Let's go talk to Naruto it's better to get it over with and not have him going on a rampage later." Gaara nodded and smiled at her.

"I agree besides how bad can he be since you are his friend." Sakura nodded and they both jumped onto the nearest rooftop moving quickly towards Naruto's apartment. They stopped outside the door and righted their clothing before knocking on the door. They heard a loud crash followed by a bang before the door opened and Naruto appeared rubbing his head. When he saw it was Sakura and Gaara he opened the door all the way and smiled.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Gaara come on in guys! Sorry about the mess I was trying to clean up a little." Sakura shook her head and Gaara merely smiled at Naruto's messiness. "Anyways why are you guys here?" Sakura looked at Gaara and sighed a little.

"Naruto sit down we've got some news." Naruto looked rather worried as he sat down on a chair and Gaara and Sakura sat down on his couch.

"So what's the news?" Naruto said looking worried and serious at the same time.

"Well Gaara's getting married." Sakura said and Naruto stared at them both blankly before looking at Gaara.

"Seriously? To who? I never thought you would ever even want to get married." He was still completely taken aback but started to smile at Gaara. "So who's the lucky girl? Do I know her?" Gaara smiled and Sakura nodded.

"Well Naruto I think you know her really well as you two have been friends for a while. You see I'm marrying Sakura." He waited for the few seconds it took for Naruto to register what he just said.

"Sakura-chan? Oh I see it's a joke right?" He smiled and Sakura tsked before hitting him on the head.

"Of course it's not a joke you baka!" Gaara smiled as Naruto sat dumbstruck on the floor. Sakura showed him the ring and smiled. "We're getting married in seventeen days." Naruto looked back and forth between them and rubbed his head.

"Man Sakura-chan I didn't know you were even interested in Gaara." Gaara smiled and took Sakura's hand in his own. Sakura shrugged.

"Well I love him now and that's that." Naruto looked at them and then to their great surprise, laughed.

"Man my two best friends are getting married! This is great! Now I'll get to see Gaara when he comes to visit because Sakura-chan will bring him to see me! Oh and I'll get to come to Suna right? This is great I'm really happy for you!" He stood up and hugged Sakura who hugged him back. He then turned to Gaara and shook his hand. "Take care of her or I will personally make your life a living hell." Gaara laughed and nodded.

"Naruto I was wondering if you'd be one of my groomsmen. I already promised Kankuro he could be the best man if I ever got married." Naruto nodded.

"Sure Gaara! Hey do you guys want to go to Ichiraku's to celebrate?" Gaara and Sakura laughed looking at each other.

"We are actually going there anyways. We are going to tell Kiba, Choji, Shino, and Neji. Shikamaru already knows." Naruto nodded smiling at them as he grabbed his jacket and walked with them to the door.

"You know we thought you were going to go insane and try to kill Gaara for stealing me away from you and Lee." Sakura laughed and Naruto smiled.

"Aw come on Sakura-chan I'm happy for you you're more like a sister to me than anything. Besides I think I would have probably gone insane if it was anyone but Gaara." He laughed and looked at her. "Especially if it was Lee." Gaara laughed and walked with Sakura hand in hand down the street towards Ichiraku's Naruto was laughing and walking with them until they rounded a corner and ran right into Lee.

"Hey Sakura-chan, Gaara, Naruto! Where are you guys headed?" He said smiling and looking right at Sakura who was a bit surprised to see him.

"Ah Lee we were just going to Ichiraku's do you want to come along?" She said smiling.

_"Oh great now we'll have to tell Bushy Brows along with everyone else." _Inner growled and Sakura inwardly rolled her eyes.

_"Just my luck."_ Lee froze for a moment and then smiled. He looked at Sakura's hand which was currently waving at him.

"Sakura-chan where'd you get the ring? It's very pretty." He said obviously trying to flatter her. Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed onto Lee's jacket practically towing him down the street.

"Come on Lee Ichiraku's awaits and I'm sure Sakura-chan and Gaara are hungry because I know I am!" Lee nodded and smiled standing up and looking back at Sakura and Gaara.

"Come on let us race there!" Sakura rolled her eyes but agreed. Gaara looked at her and smiled devilishly.

"Hold onto me tightly." He whispered as Lee shouted.

"Ready? Set! Go!" Sending him and Naruto racing down the street in two blurs of green and orange. Sakura held tightly to Gaara and smiled as she was transported to the street where Ichiraku's was. They crossed the street and walked into the new indoor portion of Ichiraku's sitting on a stool and watching as Naruto and Lee burst through the door panting heavily and becoming wide eyed seeing Gaara and Sakura sitting calmly on the stools.

"How'd you beat us here?" Naruto said sitting on the stool next to Gaara. Lee sat next to Naruto and nodded.

"Well you never said no transportation jutsus." Gaara said smiling at their exasperated faces. They both laughed and smiled as the door opened again and Kankuro and the others walked in followed by Temari and Shikamaru with Ino, Hinata and Tenten behind them.

"Wow you brought everyone." Sakura said laughing a little nervously.

"Yeah Temari saw the girls and mentioned we were going to Ichiraku's and I got the guys." Kiba smiled and walked up to the stool next to Sakura sitting down and smiling at her.

"So what did you want us for Sakura? Do you have some news?" The others all sat along stools and stood behind Sakura looking at her expectantly. She smiled.

"Well first off I'm the Hokage's daughter now." This left everyone except Shino and Neji smiling and laughing.

"I always said that you two were like mother and daughter. This is good for you Forehead!" Ino said smiling. One of the cooks asked what they all would like and they all ordered the ramen before going back to talking.

"So was that the only news?" Kiba said leaning back against the counter and looking at her. She rubbed her neck nervously like Naruto always did and shook her head.

"Well there was some other pretty big news that Gaara wanted to tell you guys." Everyone turned their attention to Gaara who looked up at Kankuro who nodded and then smiled.

"I'm getting married." Everyone in the room froze for a moment and then all quickly broke out of it.

"Where did that come from?" Kiba said howling and Choji agreed.

"Do we know her?" Ino asked and Gaara nodded.

"Well then who is it?" Tenten interjected.

"Yeah Gaara who is it?" Kiba said looking expectantly at Gaara. Gaara was going to talk when the ramen was set on the counter. They all got their bowls and began eating all still looking at Gaara.

"So Gaara who is it that you're marrying I mean if we know her then who is it?" Ino said still persistent. Gaara set down his ramen bowl and felt a nudge on the arm from Naruto.

"Well it's Sakura." He said plainly. Kiba choked on his ramen and Lee fell off of his stool as Ino and Tenten seemed to freeze up completely. Even Shino seemed surprised. Sakura looked worriedly at Kiba and Kankuro hit his back making him swallow the ramen and look at Gaara wide eyed.

"No way! Dude that's awesome!" He smiled and slapped Gaara on the back. "Congrats man!" Lee was now unconscious on the floor and Ino and Tenten seemed to get over themselves as they launched towards Sakura squealing like excited little kids.

"OMG YOU'RE ENGAGED!" They practically screamed hugging Sakura and gushing over her ring. The guys were congratulating Gaara and Lee had woken up and was now looking at Naruto who was calmly trying to explain everything to him. Hinata was smiling and congratulating Sakura as well as the guys who were all saying it was awesome that they were getting married.

"So when's the wedding?" Kiba asked looking at Gaara as the girls parted from Sakura and everyone settled down including a very confused Lee.

"The 29th of this month." Ino looked at Sakura and smiled.

"Come over to my house tomorrow at like eleven Forehead and I'll help you start planning. Tenten and Hinata you guys can come too." They nodded and all went back to congratulating them and laughing.

"So I guess this means you'll be leaving us then Sakura." Shino said making everyone stop talking.

"Yeah but you guys can come to visit whenever you want and I'll come here a lot too. Besides when am I ever really in Konoha? I'm always on missions." Shino nodded and Ino and Tenten smiled.

"You'll be back every year for your birthday right?" Sakura nodded.

"We'll spend Christmas here a lot as well." Gaara added and Sakura smiled.

"So it'll be like I still live here." Kiba smiled and Shikamaru nodded.

"Well I think we should have a toast. To Sakura and Gaara have a happy life together!" Temari said holding up a glass of water the other all raised their and repeated her.

"To Sakura and Gaara!" They all smiled and paid for their meals before hugging Gaara and Sakura and leaving. Kankuro and Temari said they were going to walk to Sakura's house and left Gaara and Sakura behind to talk to Naruto. Naruto and Lee were the last to leave as Naruto was practically dragging a still confused Lee across the ground.

"I'm really happy for both of you and I know Lee will be too when he snaps out of it." Lee looked at Sakura holding Gaara's hand and promptly fainted again. Naruto rolled his eyes and slung Lee over his shoulder before waving goodbye to Sakura and walking towards Lee's house. Sakura turned to Gaara and smiled.

"That went so much better than I thought it would." Gaara nodded.

"I'm surprised as well I think Lee fainting was the best reaction we could have got from him." Sakura laughed and smiled up at Gaara. He looked down at her pink hair blowing slightly in the chilly night air. It had a light dusting of snow in it that made it seem as if she was sparkling under the street lamps. The moon was up and it was snowing again making it just like the night he proposed to her. He smiled and put his arm around her waist pulling her close and making her giggle. "I'm so happy right now Sakura. I think it's the happiest I have ever been." She smiled as he looked into her emerald eyes that seemed to go on forever. He leaned forward and put his hand behind her head before pressing his lips to hers. She kissed him back snaking her arms up around his neck. He pulled back and looked at her pale white and cheeks turning pink from either blushing or the cold. He smiled and scooped her up in his arms making her gasp before transporting them to her street and walking up into the house. He put her down on the doorstep and they walked inside taking off their jackets and boots before walking into the living room where Kankuro and Temari were lounging on the couch. Sakura smiled and walked in sitting next to Temari and watching the movie that they had on.

"Oh I love this movie!" She said as Temari smiled at her.

"I know it's so good!" She nodded and the both sat back and watched it as Gaara and Kankuro sat on the other couch. When the movie ended they all got up and walked down the hall where Sakura showed them their bedrooms.

"Temari you can use my bathroom if you don't want to use the one in the hall." Temari nodded and thanked her. She then brought her stuff into her room and Kankuro brought his into his room before walking back out and saying goodnight to Sakura.

"Pleasant dreams little sis!" He said as he ruffled her hair and laughed walking down the hall to his room. Sakura smiled and kissed Gaara on the cheek before saying goodnight and walking into her room as Gaara walked down the hall to his own.

"Goodnight My Blossom sleep well." He thought as he lay in his bed and tried to get used to not having Sakura lying next to him. Sakura was tossing and turning in her room as well trying to find a comfortable position to lie in as she tried to sleep. Eventually she found herself falling asleep and welcomed it with open arms. She was definitely tired from everything that day.

_"Tomorrow won't be much better. No doubt they will want me to try on a wedding dress already. I definitely need my rest." _She thought to herself before completely succumbing to sleep.

END OF CHAPTER 37! REVIEWS PLEASE!


	35. Chapter 38

Saki- I'm in a car writing this whoo!

Konan- Loving that new laptop I see.

Saki- Yep!

Konan- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 38

Sakura heard the buzzing of her alarm and rolled over to shut it off before realizing it had already been turned off. She sat up and came face to face with Gaara. She yelped and jumped backwards a little. He chuckled and looked at her with the same lazy look that he had the day before.

"Morning Blossom did I scare you?" He chuckled as she hit him lightly with a pillow.

"Why are you in my room?" She said putting her hands on her hips in a defiant expression. He chuckled as he saw she was trying very hard not to smile. He looked at her and shrugged.

"I wanted to see you and I got up early so I came in here. Don't worry Kankuro and Temari are fast asleep. Temari is not a morning person and Kankuro could sleep all day if you let him." Sakura relaxed a little and gave him a small smile as she lay back down on the bed and looked at him sideways. He was propped up by his arm and was staring at her.

"Well I guess it's all right then but you shouldn't have scared me." He smiled.

"I'm sorry. By the way I think you're absolutely adorable when you sleep." He reached over and traced her mark before flickering his eyes back to her face and staring into her emerald eyes.

"Well you might want to get moving because I need to get dressed and ready to go to Ino's house. She'll kill me if I'm late." Gaara sighed and watched her get up.

_"Hey kid you can make her stay and have her beg you not to leave." _Gaara couldn't help but roll his eyes.

_"Great of all the things I could get stuck with I got a perverted raccoon. Yes I know what you mean and I'm not getting rid of the thought completely I just can't focus on that now." _Shukaku growled and Gaara stood up as Sakura pointed towards the door.

"I love you and everything but out." Gaara smiled and walked out the door shutting it and walking down the hall and into the kitchen where he started making omelets for all of them. Sakura was busy picking out an outfit to wear deciding on a black long sleeved shirt with red buttons that looked like Tenten's usual style shirt. The sleeves fanned out a little at the ends and the bottom of the shirt had a Cherry Blossom in the corner. She then pulled out a pair of her usual black shorts and a red skirt before laying them on the counter in her bathroom and turning on the water for her shower. As she waited for the water to heat up she threw her clothes into the hamper in her closet and walked back to the bathroom shutting the door and locking it before stepping into the warm water. Down in the kitchen Gaara put the omelets on a plate and put out four glasses for drinks.

"Mmm something smells good Gaara. I'll go get Temari and Kankuro up." Gaara nodded and looked at Sakura as she walked out of the room. Her skirt was in a medic style and her top hugged her figure just like all of her tops did. He smiled and turned back to the omelets. Sakura opened the door to Temari's room and stuck her head in. "Hey Temari we've got breakfast ready." She heard a mumbled groan and laughed. Temari sat up and looked at her yawning and stretching.

"I'll be in there in a minute I'm gonna go shower first." Sakura nodded and closed the door walking down to Kankuro's room instead. She opened the door cautiously and peeked inside.

"Hey Kankuro wake up." She said a little loudly. She watched the figure on the bed roll over and continue to sleep. She rolled her eyes and walked over to him standing over him before yelling, "KANKURO GET UP!" Again her merely shifted in his sleep. Sakura scowled and pushed him off the bed hearing a loud "Oww." As he hit the floor. "Good you're up. It's time for breakfast." Kankuro looked at her rubbing his head and scowling at her a little as he stood up and stretched.

"Alright I'll be there in a minute or two." Sakura nodded and walked into the kitchen and took one of the plates with an omelet on it.

"So what am I supposed to do while you are gone?" Gaara asked sitting next to her at the table. She shrugged.

"Go over to Shikamaru's house and get him to come help you pick out a tux for the wedding or something. Actually get Kiba to come with you too. He's in line to be the head of his clan and is experienced with getting tux's for his family parties." Gaara nodded and looked at Sakura smiling.

"I like your outfit today it's very nice." Sakura looked down and blushed.

"Oh it's nothing I've had it forever." Gaara smiled and watched as she finished her omelet and stood up to put her dish in the sink. Kankuro and Temari came into the room with sleepy expressions that went away as soon as they saw the food. Each grabbing a plate they sat down at the table and looked at Gaara and Sakura as they ate.

"So what are we doing today?" Kankuro asked after putting his empty plate in the sink.

"Well I'm going over to Ino's in about fifteen minutes to plan for the wedding. Temari you can come with me." She smiled and nodded.

"Oh I'd love to! This is going to be so much fun I've never helped plan a wedding before!" She smiled at Sakura and Kankuro laughed.

"So while they do their girly things what are we going to do?" He said looking at Gaara. Gaara looked at Kankuro and shrugged.

"I guess we're going to go get some of the guys and go get some tuxes. I think I'll have to have Kiba, Naruto, and Shikamaru as my groomsmen." Kankuro nodded as the girls waved goodbye to them and walked out the door. Kankuro turned to Gaara and smiled.

"Well let's get going we need to get three guys together and go find a place that sells tuxes." Gaara nodded and sighed.

"I see what Shikamaru means about weddings being troublesome." Kankuro laughed and pulled on his jacket and boots before following Gaara out the door.

"Hey Ino I'm here and I brought Temari with me!" Ino stuck her head in from the back room and smiled.

"Oh great! Tenten and Hinata are already here they are in the back. Let me just close up and I'll meet you back there." Ino said as she hung her apron on the wall. Sakura nodded and walked into the back room saying hello to Tenten and Hinata. They smiled at her and Temari and motioned for them to sit down. They did and Ino walked into the room.

"This is so awesome! Sakura's getting married in fifteen days!" Temari grinned and hugged her as Ino and Tenten smiled. "So let's make a list of what you need for the wedding." Ino said pulling out a notepad and pencil from her pocket. "Obviously I'll supply the flowers. But I was wondering what should your guy's theme be?" Sakura looked confused as did Temari.

"Theme? What do you mean theme?" Sakura said confused by Ino's statement.

"Well like some people have a wedding that's themed around a color. Meaning like the tablecloths and decorations and things would all be that color or revolve around that color. Or some people chose to have a theme like a forest wedding or a ballroom wedding where the decorations and everything are made to look like that theme." Sakura nodded and looked at Temari.

"Well you could do a pink theme to be like your hair." Temari suggested and Sakura shook her head.

"My hair is bad enough being the color it is we don't want me to blend into the decorations." Tenten nodded.

"You should do something that means something to you and Gaara." Hinata nodded.

"Something that reminds you both of a special memory." Ino nodded.

"So how about it forehead any special memories?" Sakura thought about it and immediately thought back to the night when Gaara first appeared on the bridge and the night he proposed to her. It was lightly snowing and everything seemed to sparkle and glisten white.

"Well there was the night he came to Konoha on Christmas Eve to see me. It was the same on the night he proposed." Ino jumped on this memory.

"Hey Forehead you didn't tell us how he proposed!" Ino said and Tenten nodded.

"Oh this I have to hear! How did my little brother propose to you?" Temari asked sitting back on the couch. Sakura blushed a little and started to tell them about it.

"It was lightly snowing and it was dark out but the moon was giving off enough light to see by. It made everything sparkle since the snow coated the ground. He took me on a walk to Konoha Bridge. Then he told me that he wanted to tell me about what he had talked to Shishou about. I was all nervous because I thought she needed my help or the village was being attacked and I wasn't paying much attention to him. I turned away to look for anyone going to help in a fight but when I turned back he was on one knee with the ring." The girls all aww'd and Sakura blushed a little.

"Hey your theme could be snow! Since it was snowing that night and when he came on Christmas Eve!" Tenten chimed in and they all agreed.

"I can get you some snow lilies for the tables and other white flowers with some blue mixed in and your bouquet can be white and blue flowers." Ino said writing it down on her notepad.

"I have a cousin that owns a bakery she can make the cake for you. I can also have them cater at the wedding and after-party. " Hinata said smiling at Sakura. Sakura nodded and Ino wrote it down. Tenten smiled.

"So all that's left is decorations which I will handle. Temari you could help me with them. Trust me Sakura you'll love it!" Sakura smiled and thanked them all.

"So let's get going I've scheduled a wedding dress appointment for ten minutes from now." Ino said standing up and grabbing her coat. The others grabbed theirs as well and walked out into the street laughing and talking to each other about ideas for the wedding. Soon they walked into the wedding dress store and Sakura was pushed into a changing room while the other girls sat outside the curtain. The seamstresses walked behind the curtain with a dress with a poofy bottom and a top that curled around her neck in a halter.

"Ok no not that one." Ino said as she stepped out Sakura agreed quickly rushing back into the changing room and taking it off. The next few didn't suit her at all until she walked out with a dress that made all of the girls gasp. It was a beautiful dress with long sleeves and a scooping v neck that had a heart shaped top. The sleeves had lace on top of the white fabric and fanned out at the ends into a kimono style sleeve that draped down. The dress itself had a sash around her waist that tied into a bow and a floor length bottom that dragged behind her just a little. The train had lace covering it that had tiny flowers sewn on it. It hugged her figure and barely fanned out at the bottom leaving it elegant but simple. The sash was a light pink and the front of the dress had a cherry blossom pattern off to the side that looked like a cherry blossom branch was creeping up the side of the dress.

"Do you like it?" Sakura asked as they all stood up and looked at her from all angles.

"Sakura it's absolutely perfect for you! It's gorgeous!" Tenten exclaimed looking at her and then frowning a little. "Sakura what's that on your neck?" She pointed to the bright red kanji on her neck that stood out on her pale skin.

"Oh that's umm I mean that's uhh…" She foundered for the words when Hinata stopped her.

"It's a mating mark. Gaara probably gave it to her before he proposed. It's like the Inuzuka's markings they give each other when they chose their mates. It infuses some of the males chakra into the female so her can tell where she is and when she's in danger it is a link between them and they can't ever get rid of it. Once you have one you are linked for life." Sakura nodded verifying what Hinata said was true.

"It's exactly like Gaara's mark, the kanji for love." Temari said looking at it. "That's amazing." Sakura nodded and then looked at them.

"Oh here I forgot the veil." She grabbed the veil and placed it on her head with the cherry blossom clip that went on the right side. It was a large Cherry blossom in the middle with smaller ones snaking up her hair. She had pulled it into a loose bun.

"Wow Sakura you really do look stunning you'll be the shining star of Konoha." Sakura smiled as the seamstress poked her head into the room.

"The Hokage is here she says she wants to see her daughter. Do any of you know what she is talking about? I thought she didn't have a daughter." Sakura laughed.

"I'm her adopted daughter let her come back here." The seamstress nodded with wide eyes as Tsunade walked in with Shizune.

"Wow Sakura you look absolutely stunning. You really do look gorgeous." She said smiling as she walked over to Sakura and hugged her. Sakura smiled and hugged her back.

"Shishou can you let us have the wedding in the clearing with the Cherry Blossom trees?" Sakura said looking at Tsunade. She nodded.

"So what can I help with for the wedding?" She looked at Ino who flipped through her not pad.

"Well we need to get invitations made and we have to get the Sensei's together so Sakura can tell them." She nodded.

"I can do that. Oh and I will of course conduct the ceremony as it is my duty as Hokage to do so. I will also conduct the one in Suna. Sakura I also will pay for it. Everything and don't even try to resist. I am the Hokage and your adoptive mother and I have more than enough money to pay for this. Besides the money I make for being Hokage is more than enough to pay for this." Sakura smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you so much Shishou you are the best." Tsunade smiled and hugged her back before smiling. Ino smirked at Sakura and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Forehead you are so lucky! You get two weddings!" They all laughed and Sakura looked at her.

"Marry a Kage Ino and you'll get two weddings too!" Tsunade said to her and she laughed.

"No I'll leave that to Sakura." She smiled and Sakura looked at all of them.

"Well I'll go change into my clothes and we'll get the dress." She walked out of the room leaving the others talking about the wedding behind her.

"Gaara I'll go get Shikamaru if you go get Neji." Gaara nodded.

"We'll meet back here." Kankuro nodded to him before walking down the road towards Shikamaru's house. Gaara turned the opposite way and headed towards the Inuzuka compound. He walked through the gates and up to the main house knocking on the door and waiting. A young woman opened the door and looked at him.

"Oh Kazekage-sama come in. Are you here to see Kiba?" Gaara nodded as he stepped inside.

"Yes I need him to come to help me pick out a tux for my wedding." The woman seemed surprised.

"Kiba didn't say anything about you getting married. Are you getting married to someone in Konoha?" He nodded.

"I'm marrying Sakura Haruno." The woman smiled and nodded.

"Congratulations. She's a very nice girl and I'm quite fond of her. I'm Kiba's sister by the way. My name is Hana." Gaara smiled and shook her hand.

"It is very nice to meet you Hana." She smiled as three ninkens walked around the corner.

"Can you guys go get Kiba for me?" They barked and ran back out of the room. Hana smiled and told Gaara to come in and wait for Kiba. He walked into the living room and saw a ninken lying on the floor with a rather large bump in her stomach. Hana looked at her and walked over rubbing her tummy and making her growl happily. "I'm keeping an eye on her. She's late delivering the pups and is one of my ninken's mate. He won't leave her side for too long so she stays here." Gaara smiled at this and Hana did as well.

"I think it's nice that he is so protective of her. I know that I would be devastated if something happened to Sakura I think I understand how he feels. Have Kiba tell me when she has her pups I would like to know if she's alright." Hana smiled and nodded.

"I'll make sure you know when she has them." Gaara smiled as the ninken triplets returned with Kiba. One of the ninkens walked over to the female ninken and laid next to her. Gaara and Kiba smiled and then Kiba turned back to Gaara.

"So what's up?" He asked as Akamaru came down the stairs and sat down beside him.

"Well I'm here to ask you to be a groomsman at my wedding." Kiba was a bit taken aback but smiled and nodded.

"Sure but I'll need a tux because I don't have any that fit." Gaara sighed.

"Well I'm actually here to get you to come and help me pick out a tux because I have absolutely no experience with it." Kiba chuckled.

"Sure I'll come along and Akamaru will come too. I know the best place to get one I'll show you." Gaara nodded and smiled saying goodbye to Hana and walking out the door with Akamaru and Kiba next to him.

"You know Akamaru can be a groomsman as well." Kiba smiled as Akamaru barked happily.

"He says he'll be happy to." Gaara smiled as they walked to where Shikamaru and Kankuro were waiting with a happy Naruto.

"Hey Kiba says he knows the best place to get a tux in Konoha." Kiba nodded and Kankuro smiled.

"Well let's get going." Naruto said happily. They nodded and followed Kiba and Akamaru to the tux shop. When they opened the door they walked to a room with four changing rooms in it and a tailor standing there waiting for them.

"I think to be safe Gaara white tuxes would be the best." Shikamaru nodded.

"Well then a white tux it will be."

"Actually Gaara I would try a white dress top that comes up around your neck a little and buttons off to the side a bit. It would suit you better." Gaara nodded.

"We'll stick to the white tuxes." Shikamaru said. He nodded and they all let the tailor take their measurements before giving them their tuxedos in their sizes. They all tried them on and walked out looking at each other and nodding. Gaara was wearing the white dress top and pants and Kankuro commented that it did look better on him than any tux would.

"You know I wonder what the girls will plan for the wedding." Kiba said and Kankuro laughed.

"We'll just have to sit back and let them do what they want. They're girls, once they hear the word wedding there's no use bothering to discuss anything with them." They all laughed and agreed before changing into their own clothes and paying for the tuxedos. Shikamaru looked at the tuxedos and then sighed.

"We'd better get these home so we don't get them soiled before the wedding." Naruto nodded.

"I think they all might just tear us to bits if anything happens to these." They all gave nervous nods before saying goodbye to one another and going their own ways home. Gaara smiled as he walked back to Sakura's house with the outfit slung over his shoulder.

_"It will certainly be surprising to see what the girls have planned." _He thought smiling as he walked down the street. Kankuro was next to him chatting about something that Gaara wasn't paying any attention to. They passed a grocery store and saw a young couple standing there. The woman looked very young and the man did as well. She was talking to another older woman and the man had his arm around her waist. The thing that caught Gaara's eye was the woman's odd stance. He stopped and watched as she waved goodbye to the older woman and turned around showing a rather large stomach. He smiled as the man kissed her head making her laugh before walking down the road.

_"Oh please don't tell me you're thinking of having pups!" _Shukaku growled and Gaara shook his head.

_"Not at all I was just thinking about how nice it will be to be able to be married to Sakura and have that kind of love and connection." _Shukaku rolled his eyes.

_"Well whatever Romeo have fun with that." _Gaara chuckled and walked up the steps to Sakura's house. Kankuro looked at him oddly but shrugged before walking inside. They both took their outfits and hung them in the closets in their rooms before walking into the kitchen and pulling out some rice to heat up for lunch.

"Hey Gaara what's going on with Shikamaru and Temari? I mean she did spend an awful lot of time with him yesterday." Gaara shrugged.

"Well I think they like each other but I don't know if he's made a move to ask her out yet." He chuckled at this. "Come to think of it I never asked Sakura out I just kind of fell in love with her and her with me. Now I'm getting married in fifteen days." Kankuro laughed.

"Never in a million years would I ever think this would happen. You getting married seemed like the last thing that could ever happen. Especially to probably the hottest girl in Konoha." Kankuro laughed and Gaara chuckled.

"Yeah neither did I but I'm sure glad I am." He laughed and just then the door opened and Temari and Sakura came in the door carrying huge white bags.

"AHHHH KANKURO DON'T LET GAARA SEE THE DRESS!" Temari screamed and Kankuro jumped over to Gaara covering his eyes as the girls raced past them and down the hall into their rooms shutting the doors. Kankuro was still covering Gaara's eyes and was practically sitting in his lap.

"Kankuro they're in their rooms you can uncover my eyes now. I said get the hell off of ME!" Gaara shouted as Kankuro fell off of the chair and onto the floor. He scowled at him and Kankuro cowered a little putting his hands up in defense. Gaara rolled his eyes and went to put the rice into four bowls. He put some chopped vegetables from the fridge onto them and poured soy sauce on it before handing a bowl to Kankuro and two to the girls that were walking into the room smiling. They thanked him and sat on the couch whispering to each other and giggling every once in a while. Kankuro and Gaara looked at each other with questioning glances.

"Hey Kankuro do you have any idea what they are talking about?" He shook his head.

"Maybe something about Temari and Shikamaru." Gaara nodded.

"Yeah could be or something else they keep looking at you and I then giggling." Kankuro shrugged.

"Could be something about a honeymoon." He wiggled his eyebrows and Gaara glared at him stopping his gestures. He grinned and Gaara rolled his eyes.

"I don't think it's that." Kankuro shrugged. He was about to say something else when they both heard Temari said something a little too loudly.

"Gaara and Kankuro…" She then dropped her voice again and Sakura nodded before giggling. The boys looked at each other and Kankuro froze then his hair stuck on end and his eyes got wide.

"Oh kami Temari might be telling her about when we were little!" Gaara froze then went into the same state as Kankuro.

"We need to find out what they are saying!" Kankuro nodded. Standing up and shuffling over to the wall near them pretending to be watching the television that Gaara had just turned on. Gaara was watching Kankuro and trying to regain his normal composure.

_"Oh Kami she might be talking about the time I got stuck in the gourd and they had to pull me out. Or when Kankuro got stuck by his pants in the tree." _He watched anxiously as Kankuro leaned against the wall casually. Kankuro leaned forward a little and could hear what they were saying.

"But can you believe it? I mean it was so funny!" Temari whispered to Sakura and Sakura giggled.

"He really did that?" Temari nodded and they both covered their mouths to keep from laughing out loud. Kankuro was as white as a sheet by this point and was sweating nervously. He walked back over to Gaara and casually sat next to him. Gaara noticed his pale appearance and nervousness.

"So what is it they are talking about?" Kankuro turned to him and shrugged.

"All I heard was something about something was really funny that 'he' did and Sakura couldn't believe it. Then they both started laughing like crazy." Gaara sighed.

"Well whatever it is I think we should stay out of it." Kankuro nodded and turned to watch the television. They heard the girls giggle as Sakura stood up and walked towards the couch where the boys were sitting now watching her as she made her way over to the fireplace and threw in a few logs before getting a match and starting it. She blew on the fire and it stirred before igniting completely. She then walked back over to the couch and sat down next to Temari as they all got quiet and watched the news program. The weather report came on saying that there was news of a small snowstorm that would hit that night and stay until the following day. They all sighed and put in a movie instead as Sakura got up and reheated some ramen for supper. They all sat down eating ramen and watching the movie as the wind picked up outside.

"Wow it sure is loud." Kankuro said and Sakura nodded.

"You know I was thinking that once the storm died we could go back to the village we went to on the mission. I was thinking about inviting the bar tender and his wife to the wedding." Gaara nodded as Temari and Kankuro looked a bit confused.

"She went on a mission and I came along. Sakura got injured and was losing a lot of blood. They helped us and helped save her life." They were both shocked and looked at Sakura.

"I could come with you guys I'd like to meet the people who saved my soon-to-be-sister's life." Temari said and Kankuro nodded.

"I'll come as well." Sakura smiled.

"Then it's settled we'll leave the day after tomorrow. Once the storm dies down we'll tell Shishou and then we can leave." Gaara smiled and Sakura smiled back.

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Temari said and smiled at Sakura before turning back to the movie. It was getting late and the movie was ending when Sakura leaned back on the couch and yawned.

"Well I'm going to bed. Goodnight guys I'll see you in the morning." Gaara smiled.

"Goodnight Sakura-chan." She nodded and walked down the hall to her room. A few minutes later Temari stood up.

"Well I'm getting tired as well I think I'll go to bed. See you tomorrow goodnight guys." She said and Gaara and Kankuro nodded.

"Yeah I think I'll go to bed as well. Gaara are you coming?" Kankuro asked him. He nodded and stood up before walking down the hall to his room. He walked inside and shut the door before putting on his night clothes and settling into bed.

_"Well tomorrow doesn't seem like it's going to be exciting. I think I'll be stuck in the house with Kankuro and Temari all day. Well at least we'll get to go see the bartender and his wife again. I think that I owe them a great debt. Maybe I can repay them all by helping them with their money crisis. The taxes are undoubtedly lower now that that purple haired woman is dead but they will still need some money to get back on their feet. I do owe them for helping us. Sakura could have died if they hadn't let us bring her in to their restaurant." _He thought about this as he closed his eyes and fell into a deep, restful sleep. _"Yes I will definitely pay them back."_

END OF CHAPTER 38! REVIEWS AS ALWAYS PLEASE! PM ME IF YOU NEED ANY POINTERS OR WANT ME TO READ AND REVIEW YOUR STORY! I'LL BE HAPPY TO DO IT!


	36. Chapter 39

Saki- Hey Kakuzu!

Kakuzu- Hello Koibito still writing I see.

Saki- Yep can you tell Deidara to stop blowing up this side of the base?

Kakuzu- Yes I'll make sure he stops. She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki- Thank you so much!

Kakuzu- Of course Koibito.

Chapter 39

Gaara woke up and looked around the room before sighing and grabbing his clothes and towel. He walked down the hall and jumped into the shower before putting on his clothes and waking Kankuro up. "It's your turn to make breakfast." He said and Kankuro rubbed the back of his neck before looking up at Gaara who threw him a towel and then smiled at him. "Sorry we take turns with breakfast." He turned around still grinning and walked down to Sakura's room before slipping in quietly and shutting the door. He turned around and looked at the bed which was empty. He didn't hear the shower running but heard the sound of her brushing her teeth. He smiled and laid down on her bed. A few minutes later she walked out of the bathroom in her usual red shirt and black pants with her whit medic skirt. She jumped a little when she noticed Gaara on her bed then smiled.

"Are you making a habit of sneaking into my room?" Gaara smiled as she walked closer to him and pulled her medic pouch out of his hands.

"Hmm just until we are married then I won't have to sneak in anymore. Are you going somewhere?" He said looking at her medic outfit.

"Shishou sent a scroll early this morning saying she needs me at the hospital today. Some people were severely injured in the storm last night one of the outer villages was hit far worse than we were and half of the town's apartments collapsed. They are bringing the people who were hurt to the Konoha hospital. I'll be back by two this afternoon." Gaara looked concerned.

"Can I come and help?" Sakura looked at him and then nodded.

"We could use any help right now. Shikamaru led a group of ninjas to the outer village to bring the people here and give shelter in our apartments to those who need it." She looked at him and he nodded.

"Give me a minute to change and I'll meet you in the kitchen. Tell Temari and Kankuro they will want to help." She nodded and they walked out of the room and into the hall where Gaara walked down to his room and Sakura went into the kitchen where a groggy Kankuro and Temari were sitting at the table eating toast.

"Morning Sakura. Where are you going?" Kankuro said looking at her outfit.

"One of the outer villages was hit severely by the storm. Half of the town collapsed. They are bringing the wounded to Konoha hospital and they need my help. Gaara's coming as well." Kankuro and Temari were more awake now looking at Sakura and nodding.

"What can we do to help?" Temari asked.

"You can join in the teams that are transporting people and go help clear off some of the snow from the rest of the town or you can come with Gaara and I to the hospital." Kankuro nodded putting his plate in the sink.

"I'll go with the teams to the village and help with anything I can." Temari nodded.

"I'll help bring people to the hospital as they are being brought to Konoha. Sakura do you know how many?" Sakura nodded.

"They said at least one hundred are reported injured and twenty missing." Temari nodded and looked at Kankuro. Gaara had just walked into the room in his usual clothing of his crimson coat and gray vest. He looked at Temari and Kankuro who were both in their pajamas still.

"We'll go get changed and join up with the teams. You two can go." Sakura nodded and grabbed her shoes with the close toes before grabbing her jacket and following Gaara out the door. She turned to him and he noticed a determined gleam in her eyes.

"Gaara can you transport us to near the hospital it will save time." He nodded and she walked over to him as he slid his arm around her waist as they were transported by the sand to a spot on the street near the hospital. Several people jumped when they saw the two appear in the street but then started to whisper when they saw Sakura take Gaara's hand and begin to run down the street towards the hospital. The first thing Gaara noticed was four ninjas carrying two stretchers into the hospital entrance each with a person on it. Sakura pulled on his hand and they hurried through the doors. Inside people were rushing about and many people sat on the chairs around the large waiting room with nurses running around checking on them. One nurse noticed Sakura and Gaara and called out above all of the rush.

"Sakura-san! Kazekage-sama!" She called them over and Sakura rushed over to her with Gaara following no longer holding her hand. "We need people to talk to the people in the waiting room. These nurses are new and can't tell if someone is really hurt." Sakura nodded.

"We've got it. Keep me on a constant alert of any serious injuries I need to attend to. Where's Tsunade?" The nurse told her to wait as she directed a nurse to a hallway and she took off running.

"She's checking the serious injury patients." Sakura nodded.

"Great work. Keep me posted and get some of these nurses out of here and attending the patients that need it." She nodded and ran off to tell some of the nurses that seemed rather flustered and helpless. Sakura tugged on Gaara's arm and pulled him over to a spot off to the side of the crowd. "Gaara please walk around and ask the patients questions. The first is what their name is. The most important is do they have any pain. Next where is it. Also any dizziness or vision blurring. Then any bleeding. If it is nothing serious send them over there to the side of the room with blue carpet. The medium is yellow and immediate means you call for a nurse. Here's a clipboard write down each patient name and anything they tell you. Be specific but use abbreviations. Give them the sheet so the nurses can tell what is wrong with them. Call me over if anything is serious. Thank you so much." She looked at him with the same determined look in her eyes he'd seen earlier and when she had battled. She handed him a clipboard before reaching up and kissing him on the lips quickly. She then pointed to a row of chairs full of people. "You take them I'll be on the row in front of you." He nodded.

"Sakura, it's fine I can handle this." She nodded.

"I know you can you're the Kazekage." She smiled before hurrying to a row of people. Gaara walked over to the first person in his row which was a young man.

"Hello can you tell me your name?" The man looked at him and nodded.

"Rorik Mitsume." Gaara nodded writing it down.

"Ok Rorik do you have any pain and where is it?" Rorik pointed to his chest.

"Here it feels like someone's stabbing me." Gaara nodded writing it down.

"Ok are you dizzy or having any trouble breathing?" He said a little hesitant. Rorik shook his head.

"Yeah it hurts when I breathe at all it's just my chest." Gaara nodded.

"Ok can you take this paper and go over to the section with the yellow carpet?" Rorik nodded and took it standing up as Gaara moved to the woman next to him. Ahead of him Sakura was doing the same. She was on her third patient and was saying the questions very sure of herself and in a soothing voice. She then saw a woman whose face was in serious discomfort. She looked to be pregnant and was clutching her stomach. Sakura rushed over and knelt down to her.

"Ma'am are you alright? I need you to tell me your name and what is wrong." Sakura said putting a hand on her arm.

"I'm Momo Gato. I'm scared I'm eight months pregnant and I don't know what's wrong. I'm worried about the baby." She was crying and Sakura put a hand on her arm soothing her.

"It's going to be ok can you tell me what's wrong? Do you have any pain?" She nodded.

"Aghhh…my stomach it hurts. My building collapsed but I wasn't hurt I was stuck under a desk. I don't know….I mean…it hurts." She gasped out clutching her stomach in pain. Sakura stood up and told her to lean back a little and uncross her arms from her stomach. She raised her hand glowing with green chakra and began to scan her stomach. She felt the baby's chakra and could feel that she was going to have a miscarriage if she didn't help. Sakura reached up to her forehead and Momo's eyes got wide.

"Just relax and let the chakra enter your head. If you fight it you could get hurt." She nodded as her body let the chakra in and relaxed. Sakura then turned to her stomach and pushed chakra into it maintaining intense concentration until she could tell that Momo and the baby were going to be all right. "Ok you're going to be fine. You and the baby are going to be all right. We'll get you to a room and we'll monitor you for the next few days." Momo nodded sighing and smiling at her weekly.

"Thank you so much…Miss?" Sakura smiled.

"Sakura Haruno." Momo's eyes got wide as she recognized the name. Sakura smiled and stood up. "Nurse! I need a wheelchair and a room for this woman! Hook her up to an IV and a heart monitor. Keep me posted on her condition in two hours." A nurse nodded rushing over with the wheelchair before taking Momo's sheet and wheeling her away to a room. Sakura then move on to a little girl sitting on her mother's lap crying in a chair. She talked to her mother and sent her over to the blue carpet side of the room. She then moved onto the next few healing minor injuries that were bleeding and looking over her shoulder to see Gaara calling over two nurses who took a man covered in blood away on a rolling stretcher. He looked up and caught her eye before smiling. She smiled and went back to questioning patients. Once the row was done she moved onto the next one taking out a food pill and crunching it before going back to questioning and healing patients. Gaara was finished with his row and walked over to her new row taking the other side. Most of the injuries were minor ones like broken ribs or cuts, bruises, broken noses, and minor fractures. There were only a few serious cases and Sakura was handling them with such ease it didn't seem to be a problem. Once the row was finished Gaara walked over to Sakura who rubbed sweat off her brow and smiled at him.

"The nurses are taking care of the rest. There seem to be no more serious injuries but this is only the first four batches of people brought in." Gaara said to her. She nodded.

"I wonder how Kankuro and Temari are handling this. I mean you were so amazing. It was like you were really a doctor or at least someone with medical training." She blushed and Gaara smiled.

"You know I find it amazing watching you work. You are so methodical and seem to know exactly what to do with every patient. You are level headed and absolutely incredible. Anyone is lucky to be able to meet you." This made Sakura turn a darker shade of pink and look down. "You know it's true." She looked up at him her cheeks a shade darker than her hair. He looked into her emerald eyes and found himself a bit lost in them. They were jarred out of their thoughts be a nurse calling Sakura over to a man with a broken leg. Gaara followed her helping to lift him onto a stretcher and then turning back to Sakura.

"Gaara, anyone is lucky to meet you as well." She said her expression completely serious. He smiled as they went back to work.

"Temari can you clear off the snow from these roofs? They are in danger of collapsing as well." Kankuro called to her as he lifted a wooden beam from a pile of rubble. She nodded before pulling out her fan before sending a huge gust of wind knocking off the snow from the roofs of the houses near her. They were working hard at clearing the snow off of the roofs of the houses still standing. The area was rather poor and the houses weren't made to stand up to tons of snow.

"Kankuro, Temari, good to have you here." Shikamaru said walking over to them. They turned and smiled at him. "Where's Gaara?" He said looking around for him.

"He went with Sakura to the hospital to help out. Speaking of which we've pretty much cleared this whole road of debris and snow. Can we bring any injured or anyone else back to Konoha?" Shikamaru nodded.

"We have wagons bringing people back as well as toads from Jiraya. You can help us in the far end of town. We're still missing fifteen people and there are about twenty more injured that we are sending to Konoha." Temari put her fan back on her back and looked at him.

"I'll go help bring people back Kankuro can help look for them." Shikamaru looked at her and nodded.

"Thank you for your help. This shouldn't take much longer the village will rebuild itself we just need to get the villagers to safety since they are part of the Fire Country." They nodded and Shikamaru walked with them to the far end of town. The first thing Temari saw was Hinata and Neji standing in the street looking around. They turned around when they saw them approaching and they all saw they were using their byakugan.

"Shikamaru there is a woman under that rubble she's alive but needs medical attention quickly." They nodded and followed Neji's instructions digging into the rubble and moving it before seeing the woman buried quite deep behind a fallen wall.

"We'll get you out just stay perfectly still." Temari said as she helped Kankuro move a large wooden beam. They carefully pulled the woman out trying not to jostle her as two ninja with a stretcher came by and they carefully lifted her onto it. "I'll go with them and bring back the injured." Kankuro nodded.

"I'll do what I can here to help." Temari smiled.

"Of course you will." He smiled and she ran quickly alongside the stretcher. Kankuro turned to Neji and Hinata and helped them moved debris off of another person pulling them out of the rubble unharmed.

"Ms. Haruno! We need you in operating room three!" A nurse called loudly above all of the chatter of the waiting room. Sakura looked up from her patient sheet and handed it to Gaara before giving him an apologetic glance and running off towards the operating room. The woman sitting in the chair that Sakura was just questioning was surprised to see Gaara.

"Are you the Kazekage?" She said surprised. He smiled.

"Normally yes but today I'm just here to help." He said as warmly as possible and continued questioning the woman before moving onto the next patient in the same routine. A few minutes later Tsunade's voice echoed through the room jarring Gaara out of his methodical circle through the patients.

"Gaara! Someone wants to talk to you." She said walking over to him. He nodded and put down his clipboard following Tsunade down the hall. "Sakura had a patient that was a woman named Momo who almost had a miscarriage in the waiting room. Sakura saved her baby and wanted us to check on her in two hours. We went to check on her and she is doing better but she requested you." Gaara looked surprised and Tsunade shrugged. "You have done enough in that waiting room for today. We only have a few more people coming in for treatment. Only three are serious. Temari is bringing them." Gaara nodded.

"I'll see her but I don't know why she wants to see me." Tsunade shrugged.

"You are the Kazekage you're someone people want to see. Now excuse me I have to run help another person with a shattered femur." She walked out of the room and down the hall as Gaara opened the door and walked in to see Momo sitting up in her bed.

"Oh Kazekage-sama! I'm sorry Kazekage-sama I only meant for them to give you this letter. I didn't mean to make you come here I'm sure you're busy…" Gaara cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Please I don't mind. My fiancé saved your life and I was happy to come talk to you." Momo's eyes widened and she nodded.

"Oh congratulations to you both I had no idea Ms. Haruno was your fiancée! I just wanted to give you this letter. It is for my husband. He's in Suna his name is Kyoko Gato he works as a negotiator for the elders of our village and Suna. I wanted to see him but I can't travel right now not with the baby being so close to being born. He left right after Christmas." Gaara nodded.

"I'll have a messenger bring it there directly. I myself am not leaving Konoha for a while but I would be happy to send this there as an urgent message." Momo smiled.

"Thank you so much Kazekage-sama. I'm sure you need to get back to the hospital work so I won't keep you. But thank you." He nodded.

"It is my pleasure Mrs. Gato." She blushed as he walked out of the room with the letter in his pocket. As soon as he was in the hallway a nurse called to him.

"Kazekage-sama your sister is here!" Gaara nodded and followed her back to the hectic waiting room where Temari was helping a little boy into a chair where a nurse attended to him. She looked up and, seeing Gaara, smiled.

"Hey Gaara how's it been going here?"

"Good we have most of the patients being treated and almost all of them on their way to recovery." Temari smiled.

"So where's Sakura? Off saving lives somewhere?" She smiled and Gaara did as well.

"The last time I saw her she was running down to the operating room about half an hour ago." Temari shook her head.

"I have no idea how she does it. I could never handle the things she does. But anyways the village is doing well. All of the snow is cleared off of the roofs and the last few people are being pulled out of the rubble. There are no fatalities. Kankuro and the others should be back in a few hours." Gaara nodded and they both went and sat down on a chair as the hecticness of the waiting room settled down and the last of the patients were brought in. The nurses slowly dwindled until only a few were walking around giving hot tea to the patients and putting bandages onto the minor cases. The ones with fractures and broken ribs were being led into a room where the nurses were bandaging their bones. The others with cuts and bruises were being given the standard checkups in another room. Slowly the people began to dwindle as they were sent to the designated district of Konoha where there were lots of empty apartments that would be used until their town was rebuilt. Eventually and hour passed and the number of people still in the hospital waiting room was about twenty. One of the nurses sighed and sat down next to them.

"Finally it is down to a usual number." She smiled at them then was a little startled. "Oh Temari-sama, Kazekage-sama! You have been here helping?" They nodded. "Oh thank you we needed it." She smiled and then stood up and walked away down the hall to check on the usual patients. Gaara looked up to see an exhausted Sakura walking down the hall as she tossed a pill into her mouth and crunched on it.

"Food pills are my savior on days like this." She said sitting down next to Gaara who smiled.

"Hey there hero how are you?" A familiar voice called and they turned to see Kankuro walking up to them.

"Oh hey Kankuro how did it go in the village?" Sakura said looking up at him.

"Good the snow's all cleared off the roof and the buildings are starting to be reconstructed. They say it should be done in about a month." Sakura nodded. Kankuro smiled and plopped own on her other side stretching and smiling at her. "So how were things here?"

"Crazy for a while but it's completely fine. No fatalities." Kankuro smiled.

"Well I'm glad to hear that my little sis is such a hero." He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well you guys helped just as much." She smiled as they all smiled back.

"There you are Sakura. Nice work on that woman and her baby. Also with the surgery the man is stable and should be fine." Tsunade said walking up to them. "Oh and nice job to you three as well. We heard Kankuro helped dig people out and even our dear Kazekage got his hands dirty helping out in the waiting room." She smiled at them all which was a rare thing to see coming from Tsunade after she had been at the hospital all day. "So Sakura says you all are heading to the village where those people saved her life. The bartender Iori and his wife." Gaara nodded.

"We would like to invite them to the wedding." She nodded.

"Well I think I'll send Kaguri along with you. He seems to want to go back as well. Meet him tomorrow at nine at the gate." Sakura nodded.

"Thank you Shishou." Tsunade smiled.

"You're my daughter now Sakura you get special treatment in my book. Oh but don't get too used to it." She smiled and turned. She walked away with Shizune following quickly after her. Sakura laughed.

"So let's all go back to my house, get some food and rest before we leave tomorrow." Temari grinned standing up and stretching.

"That sounds like a plan to me." She smiled and slung her arm around Sakura's shoulders giving them a quick squeeze before dropping her arm and looking back at the boys. "Come on guys." They smiled and stood up walking next to the girls and out of the hospital. They turned down the street and jumped on top of the roofs heading towards Sakura's house.

"I'll cook dinner tonight. Do you guys like Tempura?" Temari asked jumping down onto Sakura's street.

"I like it sure Temari that sounds great. What do you guys think?" Kankuro nodded.

"Any food is good tonight. I'm starving." He rubbed his stomach and walked into her house behind Gaara. They all took off their jackets and boots before putting them by the door and walking into the living room and sitting on the couches as Temari went into the kitchen to start the Tempura. Gaara turned on a movie and Kankuro stretched out on the other couch. Sakura sat next to Gaara and leaned against him. He was stiff for a moment before putting his arm around her and letting her curl up next to him. Temari brought in the Tempura after a few minutes and they all ate it hungrily before putting their bowls in the sink and settling back into the same positions they were in. After the movie was over Temari looked over at Gaara and Sakura and smiled.

"Hey Gaara looks like your fiancé fell asleep. Why don't you bring her to bed she's got to be exhausted." He nodded.

"Well that means you're stuck with Kankuro." Temari looked over at the sleeping form that was Kankuro passed out on the couch. His face paint was smudged and his mouth was hanging open. She rolled her eyes.

"He can sleep on the couch. I'm going to bed. Take care of your girl." She said smiling before she walked out of the room. Gaara looked down at Sakura's sleeping form and stood up carefully picking her up in his arms and carrying her down the hall to her room. He set her in the bed and pulled the covers up around her before kissing her head and brushing her hair away from her face.

_"She's absolutely perfect and all mine. Shukaku I owe you big time." _He heard Shukaku growl and smiled as he spoke.

_"Like hell you do kid. You owe me big time." _He smirked at this as Shukaku growled again before fading. Gaara stood up and walked quietly out of her room shutting the door before going into his own room.

"Hey sleepy head get up." Temari's voice called into Gaara's room. He rubbed his head sitting up and glancing at the clock seeing it was about seven thirty. He stood up and grabbed his towel before walking down to the bathroom and hopping in the shower. After he was dry and dressed in his standard crimson coat and gray vest with gray pants he walked into the kitchen and sat on a chair at the table as Kankuro handed him a plate of eggs.

"It makes up for me not making breakfast yesterday." Gaara smiled and ate them as Sakura walked into the room with her usual red shirt, white medic skirt and black pants. She was tying her hitai-ate in her hair and smiled at them.

"Hey thanks Kankuro for making breakfast." He smiled as he handed her a plate of eggs.

"My pleasure. So eat up and we can get to the gates a little early." She smiled and nodded sitting next to Gaara and eating her eggs quickly. Temari was already done eating and was sliding into her coat and closed toed sandals. Kankuro was already standing in his extra black jacket. Sakura stood up and smiled at them.

"Hold on a second guys I'm going to go get my winterized cloak instead of the old yellow one meant for rain" She walked into her room and returned wearing a white cloak with two red stripes around the bottom. It had a hood that could be used for severe weather and she smiled at them. She tossed one to Gaara and he put it on. "Well let's get going." Gaara nodded as they walked out the door. Sakura and the others looked at him strangely when he slid on a mask. Sakura then laughed recognizing it as the mask he wore the last time they went to the village.

"I thought it would be good for Kaguri and the others to recognize me at first then I'll show them who I am." Sakura nodded. Smiling they all jumped across the rooftops until they got to the gate where Kaguri was waiting.

"Hello Sakura, Temari-san, Kankuro-san. Oh Gen I didn't know you were coming. I thought the Kazekage was being escorted to the village is he delayed?" Sakura smiled shaking her head.

"No he's here." She looked at Gaara as he took off the mask and smiled.

"I wasn't supposed to be on the mission so I snuck along under the guise of Gen." Kaguri looked surprised but laughed.

"That was quite well done Kazekage-sama." Gaara shook his head.

"Just Gaara." Kaguri nodded.

"So why exactly did you sneak on the mission?" He glanced at Sakura then at Kaguri.

"My fiancé was on the mission and I couldn't leave her alone." Kaguri looked even more shocked but he smiled.

"Congratulations to you both!" Sakura smiled.

"We wanted you to come to the wedding on the twenty ninth. You helped us both so much." He nodded.

"I would be honored. Now do you want to get going?" They nodded and left quickly walking along the road before jumping into the trees to get there quicker. Kaguri traveled alongside Sakura talking to her quietly for a while before they both turned back to the trees and Sakura fell in step next to Gaara. He smiled and took her hand running his fingers across the ring on her finger. She smiled and squeezed his hand in return. They broke hands and landed in a clearing next to the others.

"We can walk from here. It's only about an hour away." Sakura nodded and Kankuro sighed.

"You know I sure hope they have food where we're going." Temari glared at him before slapping him upside the head. "OW! What'd you do that for?" He said making Sakura laugh because he sounded so much like Naruto.

"You are one of the biggest morons I know and you are my brother! I can't believe you just asked that! Were you even paying attention to where Sakura said we were going?" Temari said shaking her head angrily. "Come on let's get moving." She half growled as she stalked away dragging Kankuro by his sleeve.

"What'd I say?" He asked Sakura confused. She shook her head and followed them with Kaguri walking next to her smiling quietly.

"They are not always like this." Gaara said looking at Kaguri. He smiled.

"I don't mind it reminds me of my family. I had a brother that was just like that. He made me so angry until our parents died when I was six. My uncle took us in and I remember being so glad I had him to talk to so I wouldn't be so alone." Sakura looked over at him surprised that he was talking about his family. Most anbu didn't become personal with anyone.

"That's a great thing to have when you lose someone you care about. I wished I had siblings when my parents died. I would have given anything to have a brother or sister or someone to lean on. That's how my friends became like my family. They had always been there for me and helped me. I see them as my siblings. No matter how annoying they are they will always be there for me." Kaguri nodded.

"Family is important but friends and comrades are your family too. You both became like family when I was sent to protect you on your mission. Even if the bonds only last on the mission or even only during the fight, in that moment whoever your comrade or partner is becomes your family. Anbu are taught to keep our emotions concealed but we all feel the same bond to our partners when we fight." Gaara nodded knowing exactly what he meant. They all walked in silence for the rest of the way. All except for Kankuro and Temari who were bickering as usual. They arrived in the town and Gaara slid his mask on again before walking up the road to the Inn and checking out two rooms.

"One for the girls and one for us." He said as they put their extra clothes in their rooms and met in the lobby.

"Let's go meet this bartender and his wife! I'm absolutely starving!" Kankuro said smiling as Temari growled but ended up rolling her eyes and walking next to Kaguri instead. They all walked out into the snow still on the ground in a three inch coating as they walked down the street to the familiar sign with "The Farmer's Rest" written on it. Sakura smiled at Gaara as she opened the door and they walked inside. The place was almost empty save for a few people at the tables and two familiar faces sitting at the bar. Kai and Kisho were in a discussion and didn't notice Gaara and Sakura sit down at the table behind them with Kaguri, Kankuro, and Temari.

END OF CHAPTER 39! REVIEWS! CLIFFY! :P


	37. Chapter 40

Saki- I am so happy!

Kisame- Hey Saki-chan why are you so happy today?

Saki- Because this is my 40th chapter!

Kisame - Saki-chan has been working very hard on this story please give her reviews!

Saki- Wait since when did you start calling me Saki-_chan?_

Kisame- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 40

Kisho saw some people come in and nudged Kai. "Hey I think I saw someone I knew walk in." Kai raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"You mean like that guy that you thought was an old friend of yours and turned out to be a rogue that stole all of our produce? Yeah sorry but unless you can identify them completely I'm not moving." Kisho rolled his eyes.

"For the record he was the cousin of the guy I used to know." Kai looked at him with an I-really-don't-care look and turned back to his food. Kisho was sure he knew the people that had just walked in but he couldn't see their faces clearly because two others he didn't know were sitting next to them and blocking their faces from view. He saw a flash of pink and his eyes widened. "Hey Iori! Yuri and Gen are back!" He called into the kitchen and Iori quickly walked out. Kai turned around remembering the couple that had been there a week or two before. He looked at the table where Kisho was pointing but only saw a blonde haired girl arguing with a guy with purple face paint. He turned to Kisho and glared.

"They look nothing like Yuri and Gen you moron!" Kisho protested quickly as Iori looked at them both with a questioning glance.

"No they are behind those people I'll prove it!" He turned back to the table and smiled. "Hey Gen! Yuri! Welcome back guys! Come on over here and sit with us!" A green eyed face with pink hair popped up from behind the blonde girl and her face broke into a smile.

"Kai! Kaguri! It's great to see you!" Temari stood up and followed Sakura over to the bar stool with Gaara, Kankuro, and Kaguri following them. Iori smiled at them both and called his wife in from the kitchen.

"It's great to see you both. Oh and Kaguri! How are you all doing?" Iori asked grinning at them as they sat down at the bar with Gaara next to Kai and Sakura next to him. Kaguri smiled and looked at Iori.

"I'm doing very well." Sakura nodded.

"Yes I am doing quite well myself." She smiled and Gaara nodded from behind his mask.

"Yes she was able to recover thanks to you and your wife's hospitality." Iori and his wife both waved away their compliments.

"We were doing what anyone would do in that situation." Sakura smiled but knew they were both just being modest. They looked at Kankuro and Temari who were smiling at them.

"Oh and are these your friends?" Sakura looked at Kankuro and Temari and her grin dropped a little.

"Yes, um we actually were wondering if we could talk to you in private. Oh and Kai and Kisho as well." Iori was surprised but nodded.

"Come upstairs and we can talk. Rin mind the bar!" A girl nodded and walked over taking Iori's place as he led them upstairs. His wife walked next to Sakura smiling and saying how happy she was to see her. They got upstairs and all sat down on couches in their living room. Gaara and Sakura sat next to Kaguri and Kankuro and Temari sat on the other couch. Kai and Kisho sat next to Iori and his wife on the largest couch across from Sakura and Gaara. "So Yuri what is it you wanted to talk about?" Iori said leaning back a little. Sakura looked at Gaara who nodded.

"Well we kind of lied to you. I am actually a Konoha ninja. My name is Sakura Haruno. We were on a mission here to defeat the rogues that were running your village and had the Feudal Lord under their control. We had to make up fake names because my name is so well known and we were undercover." Iori and the others were shocked.

"Sakura Haruno! You're the apprentice to the Hokage! Who would have thought that we wouldn't be able to recognize you." They smiled at her and she smiled back. Kaguri looked at them next and nodded.

"I am also a ninja in Konoha but my name really is Kaguri. I am not well known and wasn't in danger of blowing our cover." They nodded and smiled at him as Kai laughed.

"I suppose Gen isn't his real name either." He said motioning to Gaara. Gaara chuckled.

"No it isn't." He took off his mask and put it next to him revealing his face that shocked them all in to silence. "My name is Sabaku no Gaara these are my siblings Temari and Kankuro. We live in Suna but are in Konoha on business." Kankuro and Temari smiled and looked at the silent Iori and the others.

"I'm so happy to meet you all! My brother and Sakura have told me so many wonderful things about you! You helped save Sakura's life Iori and I wanted to thank you." Temari said happily. He smiled and looked back at Gaara.

"You are the Kazekage am I correct?" Iori said completely in awe. He had heard about the person named Gaara that had become the Kazekage. Even in a small village like theirs the Sabaku siblings were known. Most people in the Fire Country knew their names but not their faces. He was completely shocked that all three of them were sitting in his living room.

"Yes I am but I don't like to be called that unless I am dealing with official business. My friends can call me Gaara." Iori nodded and smiled as Gaara looked at them.

"I'm guessing then that you two aren't newlyweds then." Kisho said looking between Gaara and Sakura. They shook their heads but smiled at them.

"We actually came here to invite you to our wedding." Sakura said and they all became silent again. Iori's wife smiled and stood up before embracing Sakura who was also standing.

"We would be honored to come to your wedding. Congratulations to you both!" Iori nodded and stood next to his wife shaking Gaara's hand.

"May you always be happy together." He smiled and Gaara and Sakura smiled back.

"Thank you. The wedding is on the 29th. You are welcome to come back to Konoha with us. We are heading back in two days." They nodded.

"We will come back to Konoha with you. While you are here you must have dinner with us." Sakura smiled. Kai and Kisho nodded as well.

"We'll come to Konoha with you all. I've actually never been there and I must say I'm looking forward to it." Kisho said and Kai agreed.

"We would be glad to have dinner with you sometime this week. I'll have my Shishou arrange things for you to stay." Temari and Kankuro stood up next to them and smiled.

"Speaking of eating would you like to come have some dinner downstairs?" They all nodded and Kankuro agreed happily rubbing his stomach.

"I am glad you suggested it I was getting a bit hungry." He grinned and Iori's wife laughed.

"Well I'll get cooking then! Would you all like some soup and ramen?" They nodded. She smiled and they all walked downstairs. Kai and Kisho were discussing something with Kaguri and they sat at the bar still talking as Sakura and Gaara sat on one side of their table with Kankuro and Temari on the other.

"They really are such nice people. I wish I could do more to help them. It must be hard on them after losing so much money to those rogues." Sakura said shaking her head. Temari nodded. Gaara sighed then spoke.

"I was thinking about that on the way here. This town needs the money to get back on its feet. Konoha is helping I think with taking care of the Feudal Lord's duties but I feel like I owe the people here for saving your life Sakura." She looked at Gaara and was surprised.

"I think that's a great idea Gaara. How much do you want to give them?" Gaara thought about it for a moment before smiling.

"About one hundred thousand dollars." They all were equally shocked by this number and Kankuro shook his head a little.

"That's an awfully large amount of money." Sakura nodded.

"But I think he's right it is what we owe this town. They need it." Temari nodded.

"I agree but where are we going to get the money?" Kankuro looked at Gaara and smiled.

"We'll get the people of Konoha to raise it." Gaara looked at Kankuro and Temari stared at him in disbelief.

"Like donations? Well how are we going to raise that much through donations?" Kankuro shrugged.

"It's a huge village I'm sure we can do it. Besides everyone will be willing to help the Kazekage and the Hokage's daughter." Temari nodded.

"He has a point. You two can announce it at your wedding speech in Konoha. I know that people of importance will be at that speech. I'm sure plenty of people will give money immediately. I think we can raise a lot more than one hundred thousand." Sakura smiled.

"I'll donate two hundred dollars. I know my Shishou will donate a lot as well. All of my friends and the sensei's. That's already over a thousand dollars maybe more." Temari nodded.

"We'll pitch in a thousand that makes around three or four thousand already." Gaara nodded.

"I think we can do this easily. Now that that is settled, what is there to do in this town?" Temari asked as Iori's wife brought their food over.

"Oh if you are looking for things to do you can always visit the shops in town and the forest is beautiful this time of year. Bundle up if you go out though it is rather cold." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"We'll be sure to bundle up. I think I might take a walk tomorrow through the forest maybe Temari can come with me." Temari nodded sipping her soup.

"I would love to. Oh this soup is delicious! Thank you very much!" She smiled and Iori's wife waved her off.

"Oh it's nothing dear really." She smiled and walked back to the kitchen. Sakura and the others ate quietly talking about the donations quietly until Kaguri came over and sat next to Kankuro. They told him about it and he agreed to donate fifty dollars.

"I'm sorry I can't do more but I have to save up for a new house." They nodded and smiled.

"Fifty dollars is certainly enough to make a difference." Kaguri smiled as they finished up their meal and called goodbye to everyone before paying for their meals and grabbing their coats and cloaks before walking out into the snowy streets.

"Is it snowy all winter in the Fire Country?" Temari asked and Kaguri chuckled.

"Most of the time yes but it usually melts for at least a week before it snows again. We're used to it." Sakura nodded.

"I remember that ever since I was little it was snowy every year on Christmas." Kaguri smiled.

"Yes I don't think we have not had snow on Christmas since the first Hokage." Kankuro shook his head and laughed.

"In Suna one year the sand blew so hard on Christmas that it piled against our door. I pretended it was snow and we were snowed in. It made it seem like it really was Christmas. To be honest I hadn't seen snow until I came to the Fire Country on a mission when I was a genin. I freaked out and clung to Baki-sensei. I remember Gaara you tried to kill it. Temari you were the only one who wasn't freaking out. Baki-sensei was yelling at me and trying to get me to let go of him and Gaara was attacking the snow like a madman. It took an hour just to calm us both down." Sakura laughed and Gaara rolled smiled.

"I remember that. Baki-sensei was not happy with you at all Kankuro." He shrugged.

"Eh he was just a stick in the mud sometimes." Temari rolled her eyes and Kaguri laughed. They walked into the Inn and down the hall to their rooms. Sakura and Temari said goodnight to the guys and went into their room as the guys went into theirs. Temari looked at Sakura and smiled.

"Do you want to talk for a while? I want to talk to you about when you come to Suna." Sakura looked at her and nodded.

"Sure Temari I'm going to put on my pajamas and then I'll come back in here." Temari nodded as Sakura grabbed them out of her bag and walked into the bathroom to change. Temari decided to change herself and pulled on a black top and pants before sitting on the couch and waiting for Sakura. She came out of the bathroom in her pink top with the cherry blossom flowers on it and her red pants. She walked over to the couch and sat down facing Temari. "So what did you want to talk about regarding Suna?"

"Well when you and Gaara move there you will be in the house we own. Kankuro and I have separate houses on either side of it. I wanted to ask if you were going to become the head of the hospital." Sakura thought about this for a moment before shrugging.

"I think Shishou wants me to so I believe I will. I was wondering if Suna has a good program for ninja training." Temari nodded.

"Second only to Konoha. Why do you ask? Do you want to become a teacher?" Sakura shook her head.

"No I wasn't thinking about me." Temari's eyes widened and she stood up.

"OMG YOU'RE PREGNANT?" Sakura waved her hands in front of her in protest as she got a slightly hyperventilating Temari to sit down.

"Temari I'm not pregnant! I was thinking about if I had kids in the future. I'd want them to go to a good ninja school." Temari looked at her and searched her eyes. She saw that Sakura wasn't lying and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh that's ok then. I don't mind that just don't mention kids to Kankuro or he will never let you rest until you have one. He's kind of a sucker for kids. It is actually weird because you'd never in a million years think that Kankuro likes kids but he does. I think he would spoil your kids rotten." Sakura laughed.

"Well I'm glad that if I have kids they will have a caring uncle. Not to mention an amazing aunt. Speaking of uncles and aunts, what's going on with you and Shikamaru?" Temari looked at her and blushed slightly.

"I-I don't know what you mean he's just my friend." Sakura looked at her and smiled.

"Oh come on Temari we both know that's not true. So tell me did Konoha's laziest ninja ask you out yet?" Temari shook her head.

"No but you're right I like Shikamaru. I have for a while. To tell you the truth I wish he would just get off his lazy ass and ask me out properly. I mean we walked around Konoha a few times but the bum won't even take me out to dinner or lunch even." She sighed. Sakura looked at her and smiled.

"I can help you Temari I know Shikamaru likes you a lot. He basically told me. He's been my best friend since I was little I can tell when he likes someone. Trust me I know he likes you. I can get him to ask you out on a date without him knowing you are upset that he hasn't." Temari smiled and hugged her.

"Thanks Sakura! I can't wait until we're sisters! I feel like we are already." She smiled and Sakura did as well. They both watched the tv for a while laughing over a show they liked and debating the characters until they both started to get sleepy. Temari stood up and stretched walking over to the bed and crawling under the covers. Sakura turned off the tv and did the same.

"Goodnight Temari." Sakura said.

"Goodnight Sakura." She replied. They shut the lamps near their beds off and both closed their eyes drifting off into sleep. Sakura felt herself opening her eyes and saw Inner sitting next to her poking her face.

_"Oh good I thought you were dead." Sakura rolled her eyes and sat up._

_"If I was dead you would be too." Inner waved her off. _

_"Details, details, so kids huh? Interesting topic." She gave Sakura a slightly sadistic smile and Sakura glared at her. "So are you planning on having kids soon?" _

_"In the future Inner I'm not even married yet. Besides I only said I may want to have kids." Inner smiled and laughed. _

_"Well I think that 'may want to have kids' is leaning towards an 'I want to have kids'." Sakura growled at her and Inner smiled. "Oh come on you love the kids at the hospital! You always sneak into the children's ward on your breaks. Not to mention that dream you had a while ago. You know where you were pregnant and sitting in that field. You seemed pretty happy about that dream. You even told Gaara it was a good dream." She said crossing her arms. Sakura sighed. _

_"Yeah well it was a good dream. I was happy and Gaara was there. Everything seemed to be going great. The fact that I was pregnant just showed me that I was happy in my marriage to him. Besides it was just a dream." Inner shook her head. _

_"You know that's not it." She gave Sakura a scrutinizing glance and Sakura merely growled back. _

_"Inner drop it." Inner put her hands up in surrender and closed her eyes._

_"Fine! I don't really care. I'm just excited that you're getting married and going to have a life. Honestly before this your life was pretty repetitive. It was mostly just missions and training then work. Nothing was really your life. You were just doing what you needed to. Sure the missions were different but not really." Sakura glared at her a little but then sighed. _

_"Yeah this is going to be a lot different. But I'll still be doing missions and I'll be running the hospital as well as working there. Also I'll be married and be living in Suna instead of Konoha. Not to mention Gaara's the Kazekage so that comes with new responsibilities as his wife not to mention my adopted mother is the Hokage and I think I'll become a major negotiator between the two villages." Inner grinned. _

_"Well that sounds like a very different life. Anyways see you later." Sakura nodded and felt herself starting to wake up. _

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up stretching a little before looking over at Temari, who was still sleeping, and sliding out of bed. She stood up and walked into the bathroom turning on the shower and taking off her pajamas throwing them on the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror and looked at her mark bright red on her neck. She smiled and took off the necklace before setting it carefully on her clothes. She stuck her hand in the running water of the shower to check its temperature before she slid into the warm water. She washed quickly and jumped out of the shower before drying off and blow-drying her hair. She slid on the complimentary robe and put her necklace back around her neck. She walked back into her room and saw Temari stir in the bed and then still. Sakura merely chuckled. She had slept through all of that noise? She shook her head and pulled out her usual shirt with her family symbol on the back and her black shorts with a white medic skirt. She then grabbed her pack full of weapons and medic supplies. She strapped it to her hip and walked over to the bed to wake Temari up.

"Hey Temari! Come on let's go get some breakfast!" Temari opened her eyes and gave Sakura a groggy smile.

"Morning Sakura. I'll get dressed and meet you in the lobby." Sakura nodded and walked out of the room. She shut the door and turned around bumping into Gaara.

"Oh good morning Gaara-kun!" She said happily as he smiled at her.

"Good morning Sakura-chan." He smiled as she grinned.

"Are Kankuro and Kaguri up yet?" Gaara nodded.

"Kaguri's in the lobby and Kankuro is getting dressed. Is Temari up yet?" Sakura shrugged.

"She's awake but I don't think she's out of bed yet." Gaara smiled and Sakura smiled back.

"Well let's go meet Kaguri in the lobby." She nodded and walked down the hall to the lobby where Kaguri was waiting at a table.

"Good morning Sakura, Gaara. Look at this it seems word as got out about your engagement." He showed them a newspaper he was reading with the main headline making Sakura become wide eyed.

_Kazekage Engaged to Hokage's Daughter_

"Ah so the secret finally got let out. I wondered when everyone would find out. But I think it's funny they said the Hokage's daughter. That part is more recent. Oh well what does the article say?" Kaguri looked down and began to read it out loud.

"The Fifth Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara is engaged to Sakura Haruno of Konoha. The alliance between Konoha and Suna will be strengthened by this marriage as Haruno holds a high ranking in Konoha. She is the student of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade and is also her adopted daughter. Haruno's parents died many years before. The wedding in Konoha will take place on the 29th of this month and will be private. The Kazekage will return with Haruno to Suna and she will become a high ranking official in Suna as well. Haruno will also be traveling to Suna to become the head medical professional at the hospital in Suna having studied under the Hokage for many years and gaining much medical experience. A public wedding in Suna will be taking place at a later date. Friends of the couple say they are marrying for love. 'The strengthening between villages was only thought of after they became engaged.' The Hokage stated. The Hokage will be conducting both ceremonies. Haruno and the Kazekage are expected to be interviewed later this week." Sakura looked at Gaara and sighed.

"Looks like we're going to be the center of attention now." Gaara nodded as Kaguri chuckled. "Oh well I'm going to enjoy this vacation." Gaara nodded.

"Things will be crazy from now on." Sakura nodded and Kaguri smiled.

"Well I just feel special that I'm invited to your private wedding." Sakura laughed and he grinned.

"Well you are our friend and you also saved my life so I owe you." He smiled.

"You forget that you once saved my life. I owed you." Sakura smiled at him as She sat down at the table he was sitting at. Kankuro showed up and sat down in a chair smiling at Sakura.

"Morning everyone! So what's new?" Kaguri handed him nthe newspaper and he read it chuckling.

"Well that is quite interesting. You guys won't be left alone until both wedding are over." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You won't either since you are Gaara's brother and my future brother-in-law. They will be talking to you as much as they will talk to us." Kankuro shrugged and grabbed a piece of toast from the breakfast counter.

"So? I won't mind it doesn't bother me." Kaguri smiled.

"You'll probably change your mind when everywhere you go people want to ask you questions." He smiled.

"Well just think of all the girls I'll meet that way!" Sakura scowled and hit him lightly on the arm making him chuckle. Temari walked up to the table and saw them all laughing and smiled.

"Good morning everyone glad to see you're all in good spirits today." She smiled and grabbed an orange off of the breakfast counter peeling it as she walked over.

"Yes we were talking about the article in the paper Kaguri showed us." Kaguri handed her the paper and she read it.

"I guess this means we'll not be left alone until you're married huh?" Sakura nodded.

"Kankuro doesn't mind he says but I think he will eventually." Temari nodded.

"But then again knowing you Kankuro you probably will use it to flirt with the reporters!" He grinned.

"Oh come on Temari give me a little more credit they are just asking for it by sticking their noses into other people's business." Temari hit him over the head and he rubbed it sorely.

"What is it with you people and hitting me?" They all laughed and Temari smirked at him.

"You're annoying Kankuro that's why." He scowled and she laughed. "So we're going on a walk in the forest today right?" Sakura nodded.

"We can go now if you'd like." They nodded and all got up to leave pulling on their cloaks and coats as they walked over to the door.

END OF CHAPTER 40! REVIEWS FOR AN AMAZING FORTY CHAPTERS! THE PERSON WHO IS THE 100th REVIWER CAN EITHER HELP ME CO-WRITE A STORY OR BE A MAIN OC CHARACTER IN ONE OF MY UPCOMING STORIES! YOU GET TO CHOSE YOUR CHARACTER NAME, PERSONALITY, APPEARANCE, PAIRING AND FRIENDS, NOT TO MENTION THE VILLAGE AND SOME OF THE PLOT! COME ON GUYS 100 REVIEWS! :D


	38. Chapter 42

Saki- Hey guys!

Deidara- Hey Saki-chan! *hugs*

Saki- Hey Deidara you sure are being friendly. What was that explosion I heard earlier?

Deidara- Ummm just me testing a new bomb ehehe nothing big.

Saki- Hmm well I'm gonna go….see Tobi…. (I wonder what he blew up this time.)

Deidara- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Saki- DEIDARA! NOT MY FRICKIN TRAINING FIELDS!

Chapter 42

"So you three came here on a mission right?" Kankuro said after they walked into the forest. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah there was a hideout in the forest but we pretty much destroyed it. Well technically it was me and that giant bug the Feudal Lord had." Temari raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask.

"Cool can we see it?" Kankuro asked looking at her. Sakura looked at Gaara and he shrugged.

"Sure I know where it is so just follow me." They nodded and jumped up into the trees. Gaara glanced at Sakura and saw that she had a bit of a pained look on her face but it quickly faded when she jumped down to the ground a few minutes later. They landed near a giant crater in the ground full of broken rocks and pillars. Kankuro smiled as he looked at it.

"Nice work. It seemed like a rather large target. I'm surprised you dodged all of the falling pillars." Sakura smiled.

"We are shinobi Kankuro we're expected to do things like that." He rolled his eyes and she grinned. Temari looked around and saw the deep ruts from the fight that had followed.

"The anbu did a pretty good job cleaning up. It must have been hell trying to get rid of the blood stains. In Suna we just cover it up with more sand or get rid of the stained sand. It isn't that hard to disguise a fight when it happened in a desert. It makes it quite hard when people are murdered. Sometimes there is no evidence besides the body." Kankuro nodded.

"Can't imagine trying to get blood out of grass. It looks like this was just and old structure that collapsed. They made it seem like nothing happened." Kaguri nodded.

"We are supposed to leave no trace. We clean up after fights so that we can maintain our cover. In this case it was to keep the citizens mostly in the dark about what happened. If we are critically injured and have no chance of making it we are supposed to get rid of our bodies. That way we leave absolutely no trace." Kaguri said looking around and then back to Kankuro. They jumped down into the pit and walked around for a little while. They explained the fight and Kankuro immediately wanted to know everything.

"So what happened after this fight?" Gaara looked at him and said simply,

"We went to investigate the Feudal Lord's house. Sakura went in undercover as a new maid and got to snoop around. She got captured and taken back here a few yards away." Kankuro looked at Sakura and grinned.

"Let's go see the rest of this fight." She nodded and they continued across the trees for a while explaining what lead up to the main fight.

"This was the fight where Sakura killed the woman Tara. She was from the Sound Village. Another psychopath that wanted to take over the world." Gaara said and Kankuro laughed.

"Kami as if Orochimaru wasn't bad enough." He chuckled to himself as they dropped down into the clearing where a large circle was left from the force field and large ruts stood inside of it. Sakura walked over to it as Kaguri explained the fight to Kankuro and Temari. Gaara turned from them to watch Sakura walk over to the circle of burned grass stepping inside before looking down at the ground and following the marks with her eyes. She saw the whole fight clearly in her head. Most of all she heard Tara's horrible screams and saw those dead blue eyes in her dummy that looked so much like Naruto's. She didn't realize she had sunk to her knees as she ran her hand along a rut and followed it with her eyes. She knew this was where a kunai had flown past her from the dead body. She stopped as she saw a few red blades of grass near a particularly large rut in the ground. She stood and walked over to it plucking the grass and staring at it as the searing pain returned to her side as if she had been freshly cut with Tara's katana only a few moments before. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Gaara's turquoise eyes looking down at her.

"Are you alright Sakura?" He asked. She blinked then smiled.

"I found a few blades of grass they missed. But that's to be expected." She smiled and stood up happily grinning as she let the blades of grass fall from her fingers and walked back over to Kankuro, Temari, and Kaguri where Kaguri was explaining how they saved Sakura's life. Kankuro smiled at her and Gaara and Temari did as well.

"Man Gaara you got to go on an exciting mission. I can't remember the last time I had one of those." Gaara shook his head as Kankuro smiled.

"I'll make sure I send you on some A level missions when I get back to Suna." Kankuro smiled and Temari smirked.

"Baka! I'll laugh if you get so eager you get hurt before you even leave. Remember last time? You fell off the wall before you were even out of the gates and forgot to use your chakra to cushion your fall. You broke an arm remember?" Kankuro blushed slightly as Gaara smirked and Sakura stifled a giggle.

_"That sounds exactly like Naruto. That baka always did get overly excited for missions." _She smiled as Kankuro shrugged it off and suggested they go get some lunch in town. They all nodded as Gaara walked over to Sakura and looked down at her with his dark rimmed eyes.

"Are you sure you're ok?" He whispered. She looked at him and smiled.

"I'm fine Gaara-kun don't worry." She gave him another smile before walking ahead and jumping into the trees following Kankuro and Temari back to the village. Gaara ran alongside her and knew that she was hiding something.

_"There's something more to the fight she had with Tara I just don't know what happened." _Shukaku stirred and growled.

_"You could find out from the Hokage. That woman, Tara, might have used some form of torture that brought back painful memories. Trust me I'm an expert at that." _He chuckled contently and Gaara shut him out not wanting to hear from the demon. He jumped over next to Sakura and watched as she leaped from branch to branch with a smile plastered on her face laughing at Temari's funny recount of Kankuro falling off the wall. Gaara could tell she was trying her best not to show she was thinking about something else but he could tell. If she wasn't going to say anything he would just have to get her to tell him later. She looked over and him and gave him a smile that seemed like she was trying to say, "I'm alright, really!" He knew this wasn't true but smiled back before landing next to the others at the edge of the village.

"So where to for lunch?" Sakura said looking at Kaguri.

"Hmm we could go to the little dango shop I saw on the way into town." Kankuro grinned.

"I'm all for it dango is delicious." He smiled and grabbed onto Sakura's arm pulling her down the street at a fast pace. "Come on I'm treating my little sis to dango." Sakura was a bit unresponsive as the rest of them followed Kankuro and Sakura down the street into the little dango shop.

"Oh hello dears! Come on in you'll catch a death of cold out there!" The old woman behind the counter came over and ushered them in before clapping her hands together and smiling at them. "Now what will it be dears?" Sakura looked at Kankuro who smiled.

"I'll have mitarashi dango and she'll have the same." Kankuro said speaking for Sakura. The old woman nodded and smiled at them. She then turned to Gaara and Temari.

"Um I think we'll all have the mitarashi dango." Temari said and Gaara and Kaguri nodded.

"Alright then I'll get my granddaughter to make the dango while I bring you some nice hot tea." She smiled at them and shuffled back behind the counter talking to a younger girl holding a pot. The girl nodded as the old woman put the tea kettle on the stove before walking over to them. They were all sitting down and she smiled at them before sitting herself. "I'm sorry if I seem so forward I'm just so curious I haven't seen any of you in town before. Are you passing through?" Sakura smiled at her and shook her head.

"We are visiting friends." The old woman nodded and smiled.

"Oh did you travel far? This weather has been horrible!" Temari smiled and nodded.

"I agree. We actually live rather far away but they live in Konoha." Temari said pointing to Kaguri and Sakura. The old woman looked at them and broke into an open mouthed grin.

"Oh did you hear about the Kazekage marrying Sakura Haruno? I am so happy for them. Do you know Sakura by any chance? I have not met her but I wanted to. I have heard so many good things. I was actually hoping she could help my granddaughter out. I'm sure it would be much too expensive though. She has trouble breathing and I'm concerned about her. All of the village doctors said she has a cold but it's been getting worse. Oh dear I'm sorry I'm boring you with my talk!" She blushed a little and Kankuro shook his head.

"No it's fine I enjoy hearing someone other than them talking for a while." He grinned and Sakura lightly hit his arm.

"What he means is that it doesn't bother us." Sakura said smiling. The old woman looked at them and smiled.

"Oh I'm sure your husband was just teasing." Sakura looked at Kankuro in surprise then quickly shook her head.

"Oh he's not my husband!" The old woman looked at them and blushed a little again.

"Oh I'm sorry I thought he was because of your wedding ring. It's quite pretty." Sakura smiled. Kankuro looked at the old woman and chuckled.

"She's actually my soon-to-be sister-in-law." The old woman looked at her and smiled her eyes twinkling a little.

"Oh congratulations! Is this young man your fiancé?" She said looking at Gaara. He smiled at her and looked at Sakura.

"Yes we are getting married in twelve days. We are here to invite our friends to the wedding." The old woman smiled happily and clapped her hands together.

"Oh that's wonderful!" The tea kettle screeched and the woman got up pouring them all cups of tea and then her niece brought out the dango. Sakura could see she was having huge difficulties breathing. She stopped her and looked at the old woman.

"Pardon me but I am trained in medical healing. Can I examine your granddaughter? If that would be all right with you." Her niece nodded and the old woman did as well.

"You can use the back room." Sakura nodded and left with her niece walking into the back room. The old woman stayed and drank tea listening to Kankuro talk. Sakura looked at the young woman who looked down as she breathed with shuddering gasps. Sakura looked at her with sympathy going into medic mode. She pulled off her medical pouch and set it on the table telling the woman to lie down on a cot in the back storage room. She did and Sakura smiled at her.

"Now I want you to breathe in deep for me. Don't worry about the tingling feeling I'm just monitoring you let the chakra enter your body." The woman nodded and breathed in a shuddering, short breath and let it out coughing a little. Sakura nodded as she felt an intrusion in the woman's lungs. She sent in some chakra and furrowed her brow as she worked her chakra through the system and into her lungs. She felt a definite lump there and looked at the woman with a smile. "Ok well there is definitely something in your left lung. Do you have any pain in your chest?" The woman nodded and Sakura nodded back. "Ok I'm going to push lightly on your chest and you keep breathing normally tell me where it hurts." The woman nodded and Sakura pushed around on her chest until she let out a pained gasp. Sakura looked at her and nodded.

"Please is it…..bad?" The woman gasped out grabbing onto Sakura's arm. She saw panic in the woman's eyes and looked at her kindly.

"It isn't good but it can be treated. I can get you into Konoha Hospital and have it thoroughly checked out where there are medical tools to be utilized." The woman looked a little panicked but Sakura walked with her back into the room supporting her a little when she stumbled. The old woman looked at her as she returned.

"What is it? Is it something bad?" She asked walking over to her niece and making her sit down. Sakura looked at her and smiled lightly.

"The good news is it can be treated. It should be relatively simple. I can get her in for a thorough examination and treatment at Konoha Hospital." The old woman looked at her with sad eyes then back at her niece who shook her head.

"We don't have the money. I know they offer free treatment to ninjas and civilians involved in disasters but not to us." She seemed on the verge of tears and Kankuro's face softened as did Temari's and Sakura's. Gaara was his usual stoic self hiding his emotions. The old woman's niece smiled at Sakura and weakly held out her hand.

"Thank you for…looking at….me." Sakura heard her cough again and she looked at the old woman.

"I can get you in for free." The old woman looked at her in disbelief and she smiled.

"But how? Do you work there? I can't let you pay for us!" Sakura stopped her.

"I'm the Hokage's daughter Sakura Haruno. I can get anyone in for free. I am leaving for Konoha the day after tomorrow but we can leave earlier and take your niece back with us. She won't need to walk and we can bring you as well. We are bringing our friends back to Konoha and I'm sure they wouldn't mind leaving early." The old woman looked at her and burst into tears hugging her tightly and patting her head.

"Oh you are so kind and generous! Oh but you're Sakura Haruno! Then this is the Kazekage and his siblings!" She gasped and looked at Gaara who smiled at her.

"I'm sorry but I am just Gaara while I am on leave from Suna." She nodded and her granddaughter smiled at them.

"I can't…ever thank you…enough. My name is… May-rin." Sakura smiled and took her hand.

"Nice to meet you May-rin. Don't worry we will get you all fixed up. I will personally attend to you."

"I'm so thankful that you were in this town this week Ms. Haruno." The old woman said taking Sakura's hands in her own and smiling at her with tears in her eyes. Sakura smiled back at her.

"I'm glad that I can help her. I'll pick you both up tomorrow. Make sure you have blankets and plenty of warm clothes. She'll need to stay warm." The old woman nodded and hugged Sakura who was a bit stiff and unresponsive. She tentatively patted the old woman's back as she let go of her.

"I cannot thank you enough! We'll be ready tomorrow!" She said happily thanking them all before they nodded to her and left her and May-rin crying happily. Gaara pulled Sakura against his side and looked down at her.

"You are very kind Sakura. I think that you deserve to be a medic you have the heart for it." Sakura grinned as he kissed her temple and Kankuro, Kaguri and Temari walked next to Gaara, who had let go of Sakura, and smiled. They all were quiet as they walked to The Farmer's Rest to talk to Iori and his wife about leaving the next day instead of in two days. They hardily agreed and gave the group supper before they thanked them and left walking back to the Inn with the snow crunching beneath their feet. Sakura felt tired already and Kankuro noticed in her slowing steps. She saw him watching her and quickly picked up her pace shaking her head and striking up a conversation with Kaguri. She was discussing how they were going to get both May-rin and her Grandmother back to Konoha and Kaguri merely smiled at her.

"Sakura knowing you, you already know how." She rolled her eyes a little and turned her head away.

"Well I didn't have to ask your opinion. Temari can help me!" Temari looked at Sakura and grinned.

"Sure thing Sakura!" She smiled and Sakura smiled back a little less enthusiastic. Kankuro hung back with Gaara and Kaguri as the girls went ahead. Temari was practically dragging Sakura by the arm that was looped with hers while Sakura stumbled to keep up with her pace that seemed, to her, to be incredibly fast. Kankuro looked at Gaara who was talking quietly to Kaguri.

"Hey Gaara look at Sakura." He said and Gaara looked over at him before they all looked at Sakura who was keeping up with Temari now and listening to her talk while nodding occasionally. Gaara furrowed his brow.

"Yes is something wrong?" Kankuro looked at him and shrugged.

"She seems exhausted. She was dragging her feet earlier and has been acting rather tired. I don't think I've ever seen Sakura tire this easily. But it might just be me." Kaguri shook his head.

"Only after working for several straight hours at the hospital have I ever seen her exhausted. Or if she has come back from a mission or long journey. I don't think she ever tires this easily." Gaara was now a little worried but brushed it off as her not getting enough rest. He walked up to Temari and Sakura and smiled at his sister who was in a heated conversation with Sakura.

"-but I think Ino has a great idea." Sakura nodded and Temari smiled at her and Gaara. "Kami you guys are just too cute!" Gaara rolled his eyes and Temari stuck out her tongue as they walked up into the hotel. Temari said goodnight to everyone and so did Sakura before Temari grabbed onto her arm and basically drug her down the hall to their room exclaiming that they needed their beauty rest. Sakura gave a feeble smile back towards the boys as Temari pulled her around the corner. Kankuro walked past Gaara and pat him on the back.

"Well at least the girls are getting along perfectly." He chuckled and Gaara sighed lightly. "Well at least she isn't like Temari." Kankuro said stopping as he unlocked their room door and turned to Gaara and Kaguri. "That would be terrifying. I do not need another mother hen sister." He shook his head and walked into their room. A thought was nagging Gaara. He could tell it was trying to make itself known. He sighed inwardly and sat down on the couch. The thought persisted and he growled at the demon pushing into his mind.

_"What do you want?" _Gaara growled as he let Shukaku communicate with him.

_"I can't believe it. All of this damn romance stuff you've been doing has actually gotten to the point that it has made you oblivious to what has been going on with your mate. Even that baka of a brother you have noticed something was wrong with her!" _Gaara furrowed his brow at him.

_"Romance was your idea. You said to make her my mate but I can't just do that and be done with it! How long has she been acting differently?" _

_"Ever since that Tara bitch and her fought she's been acting strange. Look that woman could have done something to her in that barrier when they fought. She could have easily done something to her mind. I've done it before. There is more than one way to get into people's heads." _Gaara thought over this and had to admit that Shukaku had a good idea there. The demon's presence dissolved and he stood up from the couch and walked over to where Kankuro and Kaguri were playing cards on the small table in the room. Kankuro looked up at him and grinned.

"Come to join our game little brother?" Gaara shook his head and grabbed Kankuro's arm dragging him over to the other side of the room. "Woah Gaara! Come on now calm down!" Kankuro said nervously as Gaara let go of him and looked over at Kaguri who understood he wanted to talk to Kankuro alone. Kankuro looked nervously at Kaguri, who was still sitting at the table reading a newspaper column, before turning to Gaara.

"Kankuro calm down. You aren't in any trouble but I need your help. It's about what you said earlier, about Sakura being more tired than usual." Kankuro sighed in relief and sat down on the couch before motioning for Gaara to sit down as well.

"She just seemed a lot more tired to me. I don't know if it's anything big but I know her and that little bit of chakra she used to check over that girl shouldn't have made her that weak and tired. It might be because of that injury she got on the mission but I don't know." Gaara nodded and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger before looking at Kankuro.

"Shukaku thinks that Tara woman did something to her in the attack. Kaguri, in anbu did you learn about any tactics people use to mess with people's minds long after the person who uses them dies?" Gaara turned to Kaguri who looked up and nodded walking over to them. He sat next to Kankuro and looked at Gaara.

"Well there's the obvious Genjutsu but that only works until the person dies. They can always use the people's friends to torment them by making them watch their friends be tortured or killed. The same can be done by using their fears against them. We did hear that Tara woman using those sound attacks against Sakura." Gaara nodded and looked at Kankuro who seemed to be deep in thought.

"The only way we can find out is if you ask Sakura what happened during the fight." He finally said looking at Gaara sincerely. He nodded and stood up.

"I'll go do it now while Temari is asleep." He stood up and walked out of the room and down the hall to the girl's room. He knocked on the door and hoped that Temari had gone to bed already. He heard the door unlock and found himself looking down at a sleepy eyed Sakura. Her green eyes got brighter and she shut the door quietly before turning to him.

"Gaara what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Gaara shook his head and took her hand in his.

"I want to talk to you, privately. I find it hard to do that when Temari is hanging on you every minute. Grab your cloak." Sakura laughed a little and smiled.

"Ok." She said. She went back into the room and returned with her cloak. Gaara was already wearing his. He picked her up in his arms and opened a window at the end of the hall before jumping up onto the roof and setting her down. "So now that we are up here what do you want to talk about?" Sakura said curiously. Gaara sat next to her and stared out across the trees.

"Well it's about earlier today and when we went to the forest where you fought Tara. You said you were alright but I know you aren't. Sakura you can't lie to me. I know when you are lying and when you aren't. What is the matter? What happened when you fought Tara?" He looked at her his eyes serious and concerned. She looked down at her hands and sighed.

"I guess I'm not ok. Something has been bugging me since I fought with her. During the fight she used a body of someone. She controlled it with humming. I am used to puppets and human bodies being used like that and that wasn't what affected me I don't think. But its eyes, they were exactly like Naruto's eyes. They were the same blue but they were cold and lifeless. I thought, for a moment, that that person was Naruto. That those were Naruto's eyes that were so cold and lifeless. I guess it was because I was thinking about Naruto but when I hit it with the katana and it disappeared, I still saw those eyes. It didn't bother me in Konoha where I saw Naruto it made me feel better actually. But when we went back to the sight where we fought I remembered everything. I actually heard her scream and I felt her katana slice me as if it had happened moments ago. I don't know what happened. I think it was some sort of poison she put on the blade that made me remember. Our lab tests don't show poisons that make you hallucinate as long as they aren't fatal. Some even remain dormant until something triggers the memory. Then it poisons you for a while until your body gets rid of it." Gaara had listened to her story and saw her eyes tear up a little. He pulled her close and stroked her hair.

"I'm relieved Sakura. I made a promise that I would not let you get hurt while you were with me and I intend to keep that promise. We will just have to wait until the poison is gone. How long do you think that will be?" Sakura sat with her head resting on his chest as she spoke.

"About three days after it is triggered." Gaara nodded and picked her up again as he jumped back inside the Inn.

"Well I'll help you until then. Goodnight Sakura-chan." He hugged her and she smiled.

"Thank you for talking to me. I feel much better. Goodnight Gaara-kun." She kissed him lightly and went back into her room quietly so as not to wake Temari. She shut the door and crawled into the bed pulling the covers up to her chin and closing her eyes. She knew as soon as she fell asleep that it was going to be a rough night.

"SAKURA! WAKE UP!" Temari was shaking Sakura with a very worried expression as Sakura opened her emerald eyes blinking and staring at Temari before bursting into tears. Temari hugged her and stroked her hair and letting her cry into her shoulder. "Did you have a nightmare? You were writhing around and screaming." Sakura nodded and Temari held her closer. They heard rushed footseteps as the boys burst into the room led by Kankuro with Gaara right behind. At the sight of Temari holding a crying Sakura he rushed over and looked at Temari wide eyed as Gaara sat next to Sakura. "She had a nightmare." They all sighed and Kankuro stood up before smiling.

"Well at least you are up because we need to get going and get May-rin, Iori and his wife, and Kai and Kisho." Sakura nodded and wiped her eyes before shooing the boys out of the room and getting dressed.

END OF CHAPTER 42! REVIEWS PLEASE!


	39. Chapter 43

Saki- Hey guys I've got some pretty awesome news!

Tobi- Oh Tobi loves awesome news! What is it Saki-chan?

Saki- Well I decided to make this story at least 60 chapters if possible!

Tobi- Wow! Saki-chan that is a lot of writing!

Saki-Yeah I know but you all know you are really happy about this.

Tobi- Tobi's happy! She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 43

Sakura looked at Temari and smiled as the girl looked at her with a worried expression. "Temari I'm fine. It was just a nightmare I'm fine now. Besides we need to get going so we can get May-rin to the hospital as soon as possible. Not to mention I am getting married in eleven days." She smiled and Temari froze for a moment in her packing.

"Wow eleven days…" She repeated numbly. Sakura nodded and turned around for a moment before two arms wrapped around her and she was being squeezed by a very happy Temari. "You're going to be my sister in eleven days!" Sakura laughed and Temari did as well before releasing her with tears in her eyes. "Oh I'm so happy! I wanted a sister so badly! Your kids are going to be spoiled rotten by me and Kankuro you know." Sakura looked at her and sighed.

"Still talking about kids?" Temari put her hands up in a mock alright-I'll-drop-it pose.

"I'm just saying IF you have kids they will be spoiled." She grinned and nudged Sakura as she walked past her. "But you can't deny you haven't been thinking about your honeymoon." She wiggled her eyebrows and Sakura turned a light red. "Especially since you sometimes talk in your sleep." She laughed and Sakura turned red as a tomato before swaying and almost passing out as Temari opened the door. She steadied herself and tried to fight off the redness tinting her cheeks. She pulled on her cloak and tied her hetai-ate in her hair before calming herself and getting her cheeks down to a manageable pink color.

_"At least it only looks like I'm kind of cold." _Sakura thought as Temari smirked at her. They walked down the hall to the lobby where the three boys were waiting.

"So what's the plan?" Kankuro asked Gaara.

"Well you can go get Kai, Temari can get Iori and his wife, Kaguri can get Kisho. That leaves Sakura and I to get May-rin and her grandmother." Kankuro nodded and Kaguri did as well. "Ask Kai or Kisho if you can use a few horses and a cart to carry people in. I'll carry May-rin on my back to get her to Konoha faster. We will get to Konoha in one day and you will get there the day after." Temari grinned.

"Sounds like a plan to me! How about we meet you two at the dango shop? That way May-rin won't have to walk somewhere to meet us." Temari said looking at Sakura. She smiled.

"That is a good idea. We'll all be at the dango shop by nine since it is eight now that gives us about an hour." They all nodded and walked outside into the snow. Kankuro and Temari set off with Kaguri to The Farmers Rest to get Iori and his wife and have them tell Kankuro and Temari where Kai and Kisho lived. Gaara and Sakura set off to the dango shop and as soon as the others were out of sight, Gaara took Sakura's hand in his own.

"Sakura I know you had a nightmare last night. Are you alright?" Sakura nodded and leaned into Gaara's side. She sighed and he looked down at her. "Was it about the fight?" She nodded and his eyes softened a little.

"It was the fight but it was so much worse than that. It wasn't Naruto's eyes in the body, It was your eyes. When I defeated it another took its place. Every time it was your eyes. But the worst part was every time I stabbed the body I stabbed myself. Every punch I landed on the body hurt me. It was horrible." Gaara pulled her closer and kissed her hair.

"It'll all be over in two more days. I promise." She nodded and they continued walking hand in hand before coming to the dango shop and breaking apart. They walked in and saw May-rin sitting at the table drinking warm tea and eating dango. She smiled when she saw Sakura and her grandmother came out of the kitchen smiling at them both.

"Oh I can't thank you enough!" She took Sakura's hands in her own and Sakura smiled.

"It's no problem at all. I wanted to tell you that I will be taking May-rin ahead of the others. Gaara will come with me. You will be traveling with Iori and his wife along with my comrades and Kai and Kisho." May-rin looked at Sakura with an odd expression.

"But how will….we travel?" Sakura smiled.

"I'll carry you on my back. Don't worry its safe and faster than walking. We will get back in a day if I hurry." May-rin looked a bit apprehensive but then smiled.

"Ok….I'll let you carry me." Sakura smiled and May-rin's grandmother looked at her.

"I expect I'll get to Konoha the day after you do. Please make sure May-rin is alright for me until I get there." Sakura nodded.

"You have my word as a medic." Her grandmother smiled and nodded.

"Then I am content to leave her in your care." Sakura smiled and walked over to May-rin before sitting down next to her.

"You will have to be bundled up in blankets to keep you warm. I'll have you hold on around my neck. Are you going to be ok with this?" May-rin nodded and smiled at Sakura.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled a warm smile and nodded.

"Of course May-rin." She looked over at Gaara who had been watching her with a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips from across the room. He nodded and walked over to May-rin's grandmother helping her carry the bags with May-rin's clothing in them. Her bags were already near the door. The door opened and in stepped Temari and Kai with Kisho and Kankuro standing behind them. Iori and his wife walked in next followed by Kaguri. They all smiled at May-rin's grandmother and greeted her warmly. They were all friends in the small village. Sakura explained the plan and they all nodded.

"So Sakura you and Gaara are going to go ahead of us." Kaguri stated. Sakura nodded and looked at May-rin who was bundled in a jacket and cloak with a blanket wrapped around her. She walked over and Temari helped her onto Sakura's back. She was light even without Sakura's arms being filled with chakra to help her carry the girl. May-rin's grandmother kissed her cheek as they all walked out into the snow. Kai had brought a wagon with two horses pulling it and plenty of room for the suitcases as well as people. They helped Iori's wife and May-rin's grandmother into the wagon before Iori, Kai and Kisho climbed onto the front to steer the horses. Kankuro, Temari, and Kaguri walked alongside the wagon. They walked out of town to the start of the forest path before Gaara and Sakura called their goodbyes and jumped into the trees. May-rin held on tightly to Sakura as she nimbly darted across the branches at a fast speed towards Konoha. She pushed chakra into her feet and smiled as May-rin's arms relaxed a little after she got accustomed to the pace Sakura was jumping at. Gaara looked over at Sakura and saw her emerald eyes flicker towards him. He even thought he caught a small smile on her pink lips before she pushed off of a branch and got a step ahead of him. He was scanning the surrounding area as they traveled for any chakra signatures. They were quiet as they ran through the trees stopping after three hours to let May-rin eat something and get a quick drink before moving on. Sakura and Gaara were keeping their distance from each other but every once in a while Gaara caught Sakura looking at him with a small smile on one side of her lips. She quickly turned though not wanting to make it awkward for May-rin. After another four hours of running Sakura felt May-rin's grip loosen and quietly asked Gaara to look at the girl to make sure she was alright.

"She fell asleep." He said calmly and Sakura nodded.

"We should be in Konoha in about two hours." She shifted May-rin gently on her back and felt her labored breathing. She sighed and Gaara looked over at her with his dark rimmed eyes.

"What is it Sakura-chan?" He asked. She looked over at him and shook her head.

"We're getting married in eleven days." She smiled and he did as well.

"Yeah I can't believe it either." They were silent for a moment before Sakura spoke up.

"I can't believe I let Ino and the girls plan our whole wedding." She said shaking her head. Gaara chuckled quietly.

"Well at least we didn't have to plan it and I'm sure you had to approve the ideas at least. Besides I'm rather looking forward to seeing you in your wedding dress." He smirked as Sakura blushed a little. Gaara grinned inwardly at his triumph and Shukaku chuckled stirring inside Gaara.

_"If she's blushing now you'd better not even mention the honeymoon or we'll make her faint." _Gaara rolled his eyes inwardly at the demon and moved in silence across the snowy trees. Two hours later Sakura jumped down out of the forest and May-rin stirred on Sakura's back blinking and looking up.

"Is this Konoha?" She asked quietly. Sakura nodded and smiled as she walked through the gates. Kotetsu and Izumo were sitting, as usual, in the guard booth by the gates. Izumo was sleeping and Kotetsu was reading a newspaper. He looked up and saw Sakura walk through the gates carrying May-rin. His eyes widened and he elbowed Izumo who was startled and grabbed a kunai before noticing it was just Sakura.

"Sakura! Glad you're back!" He stood up and started to wave when he noticed the girl on her back. Gaara walked in the gates behind Sakura and looked over at Kotetsu and Izumo. "Oh Kazekage-sama welcome back as well! " He said looking at Gaara. His gaze soon turned to May-rin however. Sakura noticed his gaze and smiled.

"She's just here to receive a medical procedure for her lungs. Kotetsu, Izumo, please let me know when Kaguri arrives back. He should be with a group of about five more people. I should be at the hospital." They nodded and Sakura and Gaara began to walk away. Sakura grinned before speaking. "I hope you will both be able to come to Suna for my second wedding. It would be a shame if you missed it." She smiled and Izumo and Kotetsu stared after her wide eyed. Sakura shook her head and hurried up the street towards the hospital. On her back May-rin was looking around Konoha and was in awe at everything she saw. People were staring a bit but didn't really mind. They were all used to seeing ninja carrying wounded people through Konoha. Sakura turned a corner and walked up the path towards Konoha hospital. She opened the doors and walked in right up to the main desk. Gaara followed her and stood behind her as she talked to the secretary. A nurse brought in a gurney and Sakura put May-rin on it. She looked scared and Sakura squeezed her hand softly.

"I'll go get her in hospital attire." The nurse said and Sakura nodded.

"Put her in a prep-surgery room. Make sure it is a comfortably warm temperature. Give her and IV drip and hook her up to a heart monitor. I want someone to come and get me if anything unusual happens. I will go and talk to Tsunade." The nurse nodded and walked away holding May-rin's hand and talking to her calmly as another nurse pushed the gurney. Gaara looked down at Sakura who was obviously tired and was dragging her feet a little. They got outside and Gaara scooped her up into his arms.

"You shouldn't have carried her that whole way. You should have let me carry her for a little while at least." She looked at him and shook her head.

"It was my job and I'm fine just tired." He smirked at her but didn't put her down as he jumped onto the nearest roof moving towards the Hokage tower. Sakura rolled her emerald eyes but focused on his intoxicating scent. He smelled like sun and sand mixed with his own sort of deep scent. She liked it; to her it smelled like home and a warm summer day. She let him carry her cradled to his chest as he ran jumping down onto the Hokage tower steps. He put her down and kissed her forehead before they walked up into the tower. Shizune looked up at them and nodded as Sakura walked into Tsunade's office.

"Sakura, Gaara, I didn't expect you back until later this week. Did something happen?" The busty blonde asked looking up at them. Sakura nodded.

"We met a girl named May-rin. She had issues breathing and even the act of walking around was hard for her. I could tell she needed treatment so I brought her to the hospital. She has some sort of lump in her left lung. Her grandmother and the rest of our party should be here tomorrow. I need your opinion on what we should do with May-rin. She's in a prep-surgery room at the hospital right now." Tsunade nodded and stood up.

"Put her on our free treatment program. She is from the smaller villages and can't afford treatment am I correct?" Sakura nodded and Tsunade continued. "I'll examine her. We can get her into surgery by tomorrow." Sakura nodded and followed Tsunade out the door. "Shizune I need a patient sheet to be filled out when we get to the hospital. Make sure it has the free treatment program sheet attached." Shizune nodded and got the sheet before following Tsunade out the door. They walked to the hospital and into the lobby following Tsunade. It was around six thirty and was already dark out. Tsunade walked up to the front desk and asked where May-rin's room was. The receptionist told her and Sakura and Tsunade walked down the hall at a swift pace followed by Gaara and Shizune. Shizune looked over at Gaara and smiled.

"They are so much alike." Gaara nodded and watched Sakura talking to Tsunade about treatment options as they came to May-rin's room. They opened the door and Tsunade looked over at the scared girl sitting up in the bed.

"Hello May-rin. I'm Tsunade. Sakura said you are having trouble breathing correct?" May-rin nodded and looked over at Sakura who smiled at her making her relax a little.

"I haven't been…feeling that well…for a while." May-rin gasped out. Tsunade furrowed her brow a little and looked over at Gaara and Shizune.

"Hmm well while you two are standing over there not doing anything you might as well be doing some work." Tsunade said glancing over at Gaara and Shizune before smiling. "Shizune can you and the dear Kazekage please go and help out around the hospital for a while? Perhaps in the cafeteria. Sakura and I are going to examine May-rin." Shizune nodded and Gaara looked at Sakura before following Shizune out of the room. Tsunade and Sakura started the examination as Gaara and Shizune walked down the hall.

"So Gaara would you like to help me in the cafeteria? We can help to bring the patients their dinners." Gaara smiled and nodded. "Alright well the kitchen is over this way." Shizune turned a corner and walked down the hall to two large doors that she opened leading into the hospital kitchen. "Here we'll serve the children. They get a bowl of ramen and vegetables on the side along with some chicken and a cup of tea." Gaara nodded and followed Shizune over to where they were putting the ramen into the bowls. "Right now we have about eleven children that come down to the cafeteria for their meals. Only two are on special diets. Here you can take this cart and I'll take that one." Shizune said pointing to the two carts with the trays on top and the food underneath in rows by type. Gaara's cart held the ramen and chicken while Shizune's cart had the tea and vegetables. Gaara took hold of the cart handle and looked at Shizune.

"Are all of the children long term patients?" Gaara asked and Shizune shook her head.

"No only nine of them are long term. The others are only here for a few days or just overnight. The long term patients play in the children's ward when they aren't getting treated if they are healthy enough. The others are kept in their own rooms. We still bring the ones in their rooms dinner if they can't come down to the cafeteria." Gaara nodded and followed her through two blue doors into the cafeteria full of patients and their families. They all smiled when they saw Shizune and Gaara. Some called their hellos to Shizune as she walked past she waved and smiled at them. "Shizune-san!" A little boy called running up to her happily. He had his arm in a splint and a bandage over his left eye. Shizune smiled and ruffled his hair gently.

"Hello Kain would you like to help me serve the tea to the other children?" Kain nodded eagerly. Shizune handed him a cup and poured the tea in it. He then brought it over to a table where a little girl in a wheelchair was sitting. Gaara followed Shizune over to the long tables in the front of the room and started placing the bowls of ramen and chicken on the tables. Shizune was doing the same with the vegetables and was pouring the tea into the cups. The families of the patients and the older patients were already being served by other nurses. Kain was carrying more cups of tea to the other children and Gaara looked over at Shizune who was smiling happily.

"That boy is very kind. What did he do to his arm and eye?" Shizune leaned against the wall behind the counter and looked over at Gaara.

"He was training by himself trying to walk up trees using chakra and fell. He got stitches above his eye and injured it. He also fractured his arm. He helps out at the hospital sometimes. He wants to become a medic here at Konoha hospital." Gaara nodded and followed Shizune as she handed out the bowls of vegetables to the children around the room. Gaara handed out the ramen and chicken to the children and got thanks from their parents. He nodded and once he finished followed Shizune out of the cafeteria. "Well we can go back to Sakura and Tsunade now. They should be done their examination." Gaara nodded and followed Shizune out of the cafeteria and back to May-rin's room. Sakura was walking out of the room when Gaara and Shizune approached her.

"So how was the cafeteria Gaara?" She said smiling at him. He shrugged.

"It was alright." She laughed and let Gaara and Shizune into the room. May-rin looked at them and smiled.

"So May-rin, you are all set for surgery to remove that obtrusion in your lung. We can do it tonight or tomorrow it's your choice. It might be better to do it tonight so that you can recover faster. You will only have to be in the hospital for maybe two days afterwards." May-rin looked at Sakura and smiled.

"I wanted to…wait for my…grandmother…but I think I'll…do it tonight. So I'll heal…faster." She said before coughing. Sakura nodded and called in another nurse that was walking past.

"Please get operation room three ready for a lung surgery. I'll also need something to put her to sleep." The nurse nodded and hurried off to fulfill the pink haired medic's requests. May-rin looked at Tsunade and she saw a hint of worry in the girl's eyes.

"It'll be over before you know it and you won't feel a thing." She nodded and Tsunade got her white lab coat on. Sakura was already wearing hers and put on her surgical mask. Tsunade did as well and two nurses came into the room and helped May-rin up onto a gurney before wheeling her out of the room. Tsunade, Sakura and Shizune followed her out of the room. Gaara trailed behind them and sat in a chair outside of the operating room when they went in. Sakura gave him an apologetic glance before shutting the door. Gaara leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes hoping to get some rest during the inevitably long surgery. He fell into a much needed sleep and didn't notice the hours ticking past. Soon it was eleven and they were still doing surgery. He had woken up and was now waiting for Sakura to finish the surgery. Meanwhile in Konoha forest…

"Kankuro do you even know anything about a wedding?" Temari asked frustrated at him for once again asking about weddings. He defensively scowled at her.

"Yes I know about weddings. I'm supposed to stand behind the groom. It's not that hard." Temari rolled her eyes.

"What is the theme for their wedding?" Iori's wife asked Temari.

"They are going to have a wedding based around the night he proposed to her. It was apparently all snowy and was lightly snowing. So basically it's based around snow. Her dress is gorgeous and her friends are all taking care of the decorating I'm really excited about it actually." Iori's wife smiled and asked her about her bridesmaid dress. "Well it's pale blue with spaghetti straps with some ruffles on the front." The women smiled and continued to talk about the wedding while Kankuro went up front to talk to the men.

"We can travel all night if you want. We'll all take turns leading the horses. That way we'll be in Konoha by tomorrow morning." Kankuro said to Kai. He nodded.

"I'll take the first shift then Kisho. Iori you can be next then Kankuro." They all nodded. Kankuro jumped up onto the top of the wagon. Luckily it was a hard topped wagon that looked more like a carriage. The inside had no seats but was large enough for all three women to lie down in. Temari was talking quietly with Iori's wife while May-rin's grandmother slept. They had all eaten and were now traveling through the dark. It was about eleven and they only had about nine more hours until they reached Konoha around eight in the morning. Kankuro drifted off to sleep with his chakra circulating through his body to keep him warm. He was used to having to do this on missions in Suna's desert climate. At nights it dropped to down to around twenty degrees Fahrenheit. He was woken up later for his shift and grudgingly slid down to the driver's seat. It was only around one in the morning.

Sakura walked out of the operating room completely drained of chakra and exhausted. She was happy though because the surgery was a success and May-rin was completely all right and would recover very quickly. The nurses brought May-rin out of the operating room and down to a recovery room. Tsunade came out and told Sakura to go home and get some rest and that they would keep an eye on May-rin all night. She nodded and watched Tsunade walk away as Gaara noticed her standing across the hall. He stood up and walked over to her as she stumbled trying to walk. Gaara caught her and Shizune saw her fall. She looked at Gaara and smiled.

"She used up all of her chakra she just needs rest." He nodded and picked her up in his arms as she promptly closed her eyes and fell asleep. He walked down the hall and out of the hospital carrying her bridal style for the second time that day. He jumped across the rooftops to her house before unlocking the door and walking inside before shutting it again. He brought her down the hall to her room and pulled back the covers before laying her on the bed. Gaara took off her shoes and put them near the end of the bed before taking off the medical pouch around her waist and setting it on her dresser. He looked down at her sleeping figure and climbed into the other side of the bed pulling her close and then pulling the covers over them both. Watching her sleep made him smile and silently hope that Kankuro and Temari didn't get back early the next day. He felt like he had slept for a lifetime when the alarm clock jarred him out of his sleep. He turned it off noticing it was about eight in the morning. Gaara saw Sakura still in her medical clothing curled up against him. She stirred and blinked open her emerald eyes at him before smiling.

"I need to get going. May-rin will need me not to mention Kankuro and Temari should be arriving in Konoha in about an hour or so." Gaara nodded and she leaned in for a quick kiss before jumping out of bed and grabbing a fresh pair of clothes before leaving the room. Gaara walked out of her room and down the hall to his own putting on the same outfit but a clean pair. He walked back down the hall and saw Sakura grabbing a granola bar form the cupboard in the kitchen and a soldier pill that she crunched quickly followed by the granola bar. Gaara caught one that she threw at him with a soldier pill that she dropped in his hand. He smiled and crunched it eating his granola bar before following her to the door where she grabbed her jacket and walked out into the snow. He took her hand and they both walked towards the hospital.

Kankuro and Temari walked through the gates of Konoha first nodding to Kotetsu and Izumo. Izumo stood up and called Kankuro over. "Kankuro-san Sakura said that she and the Kazekage would be at the hospital with the girl they brought in last night." Kankuro nodded and followed Izumo to take Iori, Kai, and Kisho to where they could stable the horses and place their wagon. Iori's wife and May-rin's grandmother followed Temari to the hospital. They walked inside and walked up to the receptionist who pointed them to her room. Temari found it after a bit of searching. They opened the door and walked over to where May-rin was sitting up in bed eating breakfast carefully. Her eyes lit up and teared a little as her grandmother rushed over and took her hand in her own.

"Grandma Sakura helped me. I'm going to be fine she said. The surgery worked." She said quietly smiling as her grandmother cried tears of joy.

"I'm so happy. I can't lose you and your mother. I promised her." May-rin nodded crying a little herself.

"I know grandma I'm ok." Iori's wife and Temari both were moved by this and wiped away tears of their own. Temari pat her lightly on the shoulder and Iori's wife did as well smiling. She and Temari left so that her grandmother could visit with her. She walked out into the hallway just in time to see a flash of pink rush around the corner. She looked at Iori's wife and they both followed quickly knowing it was Sakura. They saw the pink again as she turned down a hallway and walked quickly into a room with the door shutting behind her. Temari looked up at the sign and saw they were in the maternity ward. She looked at Iori's wife who smiled as they sat down outside the room on two plastic chairs. Temari instantly wondered who it was and if it could have been that woman Sakura had saved before.

"I love babies." Iori's wife said breaking Temari out of her thoughts. "I love their soft skin and adorable little laughs. They are all so cute! The first time you get to hold them is so magical. You think to yourself 'wow this is a new life.' It's a wonderful feeling." Temari smiled.

"You had children?" She asked and Iori's wife nodded.

"One boy he left home when he was thirteen to become a shinobi. He didn't go to Konoha like he said though. He left and went to The Rock Village. I don't know why he did it but he did. I haven't heard from him in a while. I do miss him sometimes." Temari nodded and continued talking to her about babies. In the room Sakura was running a check up on a woman lying in bed.

"Well Momo you are dilated but shouldn't go into full labor for a while longer. Just keep going with the contractions and squeeze this stress ball whenever they come. Don't worry I'm not going to leave." Momo looked at her with an expression of relief and happiness mixed with mild discomfort.

"I just wish Kyoko could be here." She said looking a bit sad. Sakura sat next to her and rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"Is Kyoko your husband?" Momo nodded and closed her eyes as a contraction went through her.

"He works as a negotiator for the elders of our village and Suna. He's there right now."  
>Sakura nodded and checked Momo again after yet another contraction shook her. She winced heavily in pain and gasped. Sakura smiled at her and stroked her arm again. She soothed her for a few more minutes until the contractions began to come quicker. Sakura stood up and checked Momo's vitals again.<p>

"Ok Momo you're almost ready. I'm going to call for another few nurses." Momo nodded holding onto her stomach. Sakura radioed three nurses and they were in the room quickly as Momo was hit with another painful contraction. She was panting and the contractions were now less than three minutes apart. "Momo when I tell you to push I'm going to have you do it ok?" She nodded as Sakura told the nurses to prep for birth. One held up her legs as the others prepped things for cleaning the baby. "Ok Momo push now lightly not too hard." Momo cried out in pain before pushing and panting for breath. "That was great Momo I'm going to have you do it again with the next contraction." She nodded and winced in pain.

Temari heard a cry of pain from the room and looked over at Iori's wife who smiled. "It's worth the pain trust me. Nothing in this world is better than having your own baby." Temari smiled as she heard Sakura's calm voice soothing the woman.

"Sakura will make a great mother." Temari said offhand. Iori's wife smiled. "But that will come later if she chooses but I think she will." Iori's wife smiled.

"Sometimes you can't help it." Temari grinned and laughed with her before hearing another cry of pain this time a bit longer and definitely louder. "You know I've always wanted a daughter of my own."

"A-Ahhh!" Momo cried out tearing up. A nurse was stroking her arm as Sakura talked to her soothingly.

"Momo that was great this shouldn't take long I'll have you push again once you've caught your breath. I know you've been here for nine hours already but it's alright it'll be over soon. Ok I'm going to have you push now. Can you do that for me?" Momo nodded and pushed hard screaming and letting a few tears fall from her face. She was sweating and pushing hard. Sakura could feel the baby's head was close and looked up at Momo who had fallen back onto the bed panting heavily and crying a little. "Momo you're almost there I need a big push then it'll be over." Momo nodded weakly. "Ok one, two, three, push!" Sakura called as Momo pushed with all her strength screaming in pain and crying. A baby's shrill cry filled the room as Momo fell back onto the bed sweaty and exhausted but smiling. "It's a girl." Sakura cut her umbilical cord and handed her to a nurse who cleaned her off and wrapped her in a pink blanket.

"C-can I s-see her?" Momo asked panting. Sakura smiled and handed her the baby girl gently smiling at the baby's sweet face and small tuft of brown hair on her head. She opened her eyes and blinked making sweet little crying noises as Momo gazed down at her with an expression of pure love and joy. "Ari, My little Ari." She said tracing her face gently with her hand. Ari blinked her eyes open and gazed up at Momo with soft brown eyes just like her mother's.

"She's adorable. We'll get her weighed and check her vitals and give her a bath. We'll bring her right back to you. Rest for now." Momo nodded and let the nurse take Ari as Sakura stood up. Momo reached out a hand and grabbed Sakura's coat making her turn.

"Thank you. You saved us once and then helped me bring her into the world." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"It was my pleasure. Get some rest Momo you did great." She left the room and let the nurses clean up and check over Ari Gato. Sakura walked out into the hallway tired but satisfied. She looked up and saw Temari and Iori's wife smiling at her.

"Hey Sakura! How's the baby in there?" Temari asked motioning to Momo's room.

"She's doing great. The mother was that woman Momo that I helped a while back. She's sleeping now. I do feel bad for her though. Her husband couldn't be here. He's in Suna." Iori's wife's face fell a little.

"Oh that must have been so hard for her." Temari nodded.

"Yes I think it was. Well I think she'll feel much better soon. I sent Gaara to go send a letter to her husband as soon as she was admitted to the hospital. He should be here in a few days. But in the meanwhile I need to get cleaned up and get home." Sakura said smiling while Temari hugged her surprising her.

"You are one of the kindest people I know." Sakura tapped Temari on the shoulder and Temari loosened her hold on Sakura.

"A-air!" Sakura gasped as Temari let go. She rubbed her neck sheepishly while Sakura smiled and Iori's wife laughed.

"Well I'm going to go visit with May-rin and her grandmother. We told Kai and Kisho to come here when they were done seeing where we were going to be staying. I'll tell Kankuro you two went home." Sakura nodded and waved to her as she walked down towards May-rin's room. Sakura went over to the staff room and threw her white coat into the washing bin they had in the room. She then went and scrubbed her arms to her elbows. Temari leaned against the doorway and laughed at her thoroughness.

"Even though you were wearing gloves you still scrub your arms like you weren't wearing them." Sakura dried her arms and walked over to Temari laughing.

"Yeah well I'm just being cautious. Come on let's get back before someone wants me to do something else. Shishou says today was my last day here. I'm actually a bit sad." She looked a bit forlorn as she walked down the halls looking around her as she walked. Temari noticed this and smiled.

"Well you'll be running Suna's hospital where people really do need your help." Sakura smiled and picked up her pace.

"That's true and I promise I won't fail." Temari grinned and followed her into the lobby where all the available nurses and doctors stood clapping when they saw Sakura. "What's all this?" Sakura asked a bit shocked. Temari was grinning like a fool as she watched Sakura's surprised expression. Gaara stepped through the hospital doors and saw the nurses and doctors clapping and a very shocked emerald eyed medic standing near the hallway. He chuckled and walked over to her. She looked up at him and he gave her his usual closed mouth smile. The doctor she was closest to walked up to her and handed her a plaque with a card attached to it. Sakura accepted it and read it her mouth open as she spoke the words on the card aloud. "To Konoha's own pick haired medic; we'll miss you Sakura! Good luck in Suna! Your friends and colleagues at Konoha Hospital." She smiled at them all and looked at the plaque. "Konoha Hospital's award of honor. For bravery and the best care given in the hospital and on missions." She thanked them all and exchanged hugs with each of them before waving goodbye and walking out of the hospital.

"You made a great impact on them." Temari said and Gaara nodded. She merely smiled.

"I'm going to miss them but I can't wait until I'm in Suna and getting to help more people." Gaara smiled and she slid her hand into his running her fingers over his. "Besides we are getting married in ten days." He nodded as a few familiar voices called out their names.

END OF CHAPTER 43! PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEW FOR GAARA AND SAKURA AND TEMARI AND NARUTO AND ANYONE ELSE PLEASE!


	40. Chapter 44

Ino- Saki you need to come try this adorable dress!

Saki- Oh I will in a minute…

Ino- She owns nothing! Come on this one will totally fit you! It's adorable!

Saki- But Ino!

Chapter 44

"Sakura! Gaara!" Ino and Tenten came running down the street grinning and waving to them and Sakura returned their waves happily.

"Hey Ino-pig, Tenten! What are you guys doing?" Sakura asked as Ino and Tenten caught up to them.

"No time to talk forehead we need your opinion on this!" Ino grabbed her arm and towed her down the street. Temari and Tenten followed her just as quickly. Gaara was a bit confused but followed after them. Ino dragged Sakura up the steps of a shop and through the door not listening to the medic's protests. Tenten and Temari walked in behind them with Gaara right behind them.

"Ino what are you doing?" Sakura asked looking at the blonde who was talking to the man at the counter quickly. Gaara looked around and saw rows of music records along the walls and assumed it was a music shop. The man looked at Sakura and Gaara and gasped.

"Kazekage-sama! Sakura-sama! What a pleasure to have you in my store! Please let me help you out." Sakura turned to Ino and put her hands on her hips.

"Ok Ino what's this all about?" Ino giggled happily and looked at them.

"You need music for your wedding. Especially your first dance as a married couple!" Sakura looked at Gaara and he smiled.

"So what songs do you two have in mind?" Gaara looked at the shelves and saw a familiar title. He picked it up and handed it to the man. He smiled and put it in the cd player behind the counter. A slow song filled the air and Temari smiled.

"Perfect choice." Sakura smiled and swayed softly to it.

"I know this song. I've always liked it." She smiled and Ino beamed.

"Great we'll get it! That can be your couples dance song! I already have one picked out for you to walk down the aisle to." Sakura looked at her and Temari looked on worriedly as Sakura looked a little bit angry about this. To everyone's surprise she laughed and nodded.

"I'll be happy to hear it!" Ino hugged her and Tenten laughed putting her arm around Sakura's shoulders as Temari came over and walked outside with the girls calling to Gaara over their shoulder saying they were stealing Sakura away for a while. He walked outside and down the street by himself going to find Kankuro.

"Gaara!" Kiba's voice called as the dog nin and Akamaru came running around the corner. "The ninken's mate had her pups! Come on!" Gaara nodded and followed the smiling Kiba and Akamaru. "So how's Sakura doing? We haven't seen her lately. I know you guys were away but nobody's seen her since you guys got back or even before you left." Gaara looked at him and shrugged.

"She's doing alright. She's been working in the hospital but today was her last day. I think she's sad but excited. I don't know how I'm going to make it past the public wedding. All of Suna's girls are going to hate Sakura for a while." Kiba chuckled.

"I seem to recall you having a lot of fans since you became Kazekage." He grinned and Gaara shook his head.

"I'm glad I met Sakura." Kiba smiled.

"Yeah I think we all are glad for her. It's been tough for her living alone. Especially since Tsunade rarely sent her on missions and kept her here at the hospital. She pretended to be ok with it but we knew she wasn't. I'm glad to see she found someone nice to settle with. She's the hottest girl in Konoha!" He grinned and Akamaru barked. Gaara smiled and followed the Inuzuka through the gates to his compound. Hana was sitting on the porch and let Gaara inside where the ninken was lying next to his mate and her six pups.

"Did she have them this morning?" Kiba nodded.

"Yeah I heard that lady Sakura saved a while back had her baby this morning too. Hehe it's a great day for little ones." Gaara nodded. Kiba brought him back outside after he saw the pups and they walked out into the street where Kankuro was walking past on his way up to Sakura's road. He saw them and walked over.

"Hey Kiba! Hey where's Sakura?" He looked around noticing there was no pink haired medic to be found.

"She and Temari were kidnapped by Ino and Tenten." Gaara said calmly. Kankuro nodded.

"Explains why Temari isn't here bugging us." Kiba laughed.

"They do get to be a little bit much but they're all excited for the wedding. It's in ten days right?" Kiba asked and Gaara nodded.

"Yes then we go to Suna right away to have the official wedding." Kiba shook his head and sighed.

"That's going to be weird to have two weddings but I'm sure Sakura will like it girls like weddings right?" Kankuro laughed.

"Yeah I guess they do. Anyways I'll see you around Kiba! Get the guys together tomorrow I want to talk about something. Oh and the male sensei's." Kiba nodded and grinned.

"See you guys later!" He smiled and walked away with Akamaru at his side. Gaara looked at Kankuro for clarification about his odd request to Kiba and he merely shrugged. Gaara walked up the street to Sakura's house before opening the door and walking inside. He heard girly laughter and figured the girls got back before they did.

"Oh Sakura it's so pretty!" Tenten's voice carried down the hall and they heard Ino's voice next.

"Forehead you sure do clean up well. So are we going to do this style or that one?" They heard shuffling and then laughter.

"Well we could try that one." Hinata's small voice said quietly. Kankuro grinned and looked at Gaara before walking down the hallway and sitting in Temari's doorway so that he could hear the girls better.

"So are you leaving tomorrow then?" Temari asked and Kankuro heard a sigh.

"Yes I'll be back before the day ends though I'll need someone to keep them entertained." Sakura's voice said and Gaara looked over at Kankuro who looked right back at him.

"Well we can get them to spar with Lee and Naruto. That should keep them busy for a while." Tenten said and Sakura giggled.

"That's a good idea." Hinata spoke next her voice much quieter than the rest of them.

"How long has it been?" There was a pause as Sakura obviously thought about something.

"Well about seven years ago I guess. Since I'm twenty two now and it was when I was fifteen. I haven't told them yet." They heard a gasp from the girls and then Ino's voice a bit louder.

"You mean you haven't told them about it?" They heard Sakura sigh.

"I was planning on telling him when I get back. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? That is a huge deal Sakura I know it is. It's hard for you we all know that. If it makes it any easier I'll tell them tomorrow." Sakura obviously nodded because Ino said, "Good that's settled now let's fix your hair." Kankuro walked back into the kitchen where Gaara was standing with a furrowed brow and his eyes a bit cold.

"She'll tell us tomorrow but we'll just have to go along with whatever they want us to do." Gaara nodded stiffly and turned to Kankuro.

"Why wouldn't she tell me she was going somewhere? I would understand." Kankuro shrugged.

"Maybe it's something private like some rite of passage she has to do to get married or something. Or maybe it's just something personal like visiting an old relative or something." Gaara nodded but his eyes were still cold.

_"I think it's something else she seemed sad about it. I think I'll lie low and Ino will tell us tomorrow." _Kankuro noticed that he had started looking like his old self. From before Sakura made an impact on his life. He was cold and seemed distant. Kankuro hoped he would get over it soon for Sakura's sake. They heard the girls laughing as they walked into the kitchen noticing the boys and stopping. Hinata said goodbye to all of them and her and Tenten left leaving Ino to say goodbye to Sakura and Temari before following them out of the door. Sakura turned to Gaara and Kankuro and smiled.

"So do you want to stay in for dinner or go out to eat?"

"I think we should go out to eat. Ichiraku's maybe?" Kankuro said making Sakura smile.

"That sounds great!" Temari smiled and walked over to the door pulling on her coat and shoes alongside Kankuro. Sakura walked over to the cold eyed Gaara and leaned up near his ear. "I know you heard everything and I'll explain everything tonight. Can you slip out of your room around twelve?" Gaara looked down at her and nodded.

"I knew you could tell I was here. Your chakra reacts with mine remember. Because of that." He pointed to the mark on her neck ad she smiled.

"I like it you know. It's like yours and is special." He gave her a small smile and put her jacket on her. She smiled and zipped it shut as he pulled on his own jacket and they walked over to the door where Kankuro and Temari were waiting. They walked out into the snow and down the road to the familiar restaurant where a familiar blonde and two green clad figures sat next to a silver haired man. Sakura smiled and pulled Gaara inside. Gai was the first to spot them and grinned broadly jumping up and holding up a glass of water to Sakura and Gaara.

"A toast to youth! Kazekage-sama you and Sakura are going on a grand adventure of youth together! Congratulations!" he said giving them the nice Gai pose before sitting back down. Temari stood by the door with one eyebrow raised higher than the other next to Kankuro who was trying so hard not to laugh. Lee grinned at them and enveloped Sakura in a hug to which she was very surprised.

"Sakura-san! I hope you and Gaara have a youthful life!" Sakura nodded weakly and Gaara merely smiled. Naruto smiled at them and called them over to the stools next to him.

"Hey Sakura-chan! We told Kakashi yesterday about you and Gaara." He grinned as Kakashi gave her his standard eye crinkle smile.

"I'm happy for you Sakura. You've grown so much since you were a genin. You are now a strong grown woman." Sakura smiled and then jumped up and hugged him making the silver haired jounin very surprised.

"Kakashi-sensei can you give me away at my wedding?" She said when she pulled away. Kakashi looked surprised but his eyes crinkled again and her nodded.

"I'd be happy to Sakura you've always been like a daughter to me." He smiled and handed her a bowl of ramen which she took and thanked him before eating it. Gaara smiled at Kakashi and then got his own ramen as Temari and Kankuro bought theirs sitting as far away from Gai as possible. Lee was chatting to Naruto and Kakashi, Gaara, and Sakura were having a conversation as Temari and Kankuro argued as usual. The first to leave were Gai and Lee with Kakashi not far behind them. Naruto left at the same time Sakura and Gaara did with Temari and Kankuro already out the door and arguing all the way down the street. Naruto said goodbye and walked up the road to his house as Gaara and Sakura followed the bickering Temari and Kankuro to her house. They opened the door and Temari gave a large yawn.

"I'm tired from all of that walking we did yesterday I'm going to bed." Kankuro nodded and yawned as well.

"I was up most of the night I'm going to go to bed as well. Night Sakura." He smiled and ruffled her hair before walking down to his room. Gaara smiled at Sakura and walked down to his room as Sakura went into hers. She sat down on the bed and checked the time. The little clock displayed 10:00. She sighed and flopped into her bed settling down with a book to pass the next two hours until she could talk to Gaara. Inner Sakura took this opportunity to enter Sakura's mind.

_"So tomorrow huh? I think it's a good thing but it's really close to the wedding. We're getting married there in ten days." _ Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled.

_"Yes we are getting married in ten days, almost nine days now. You know as well as I do that I need to do this or I won't feel right. I do it every year but this time will be special." _Inner Sakura nodded and disappeared in Sakura's mind. She soon lost herself in her book not noticing the hours ticking by. She was so engrossed in her book she didn't realize Gaara was leaning against her wardrobe watching her with an amused expression that only came with watching Sakura. She glanced up and nearly fell off of her bed because of surprise. Gaara walked over to her and sat on her bed as Sakura blushed and looked at him. He loved her blush and how it could appear so easily when he was around. He glanced over to her dresser where the katana he gave her was sheathed in its holder. He looked back at her and saw her watching him quietly.

"Gaara-kun I didn't notice you standing over there I guess I was too busy reading." She blushed again and he smiled.

"I know it was quite interesting watching you read. You seemed so into your book I didn't want to disturb you." She blushed a little deeper and put the discarded book on her nightstand. He turned to her and smiled when he saw she was wearing the pink tank top with the cherries in the corner and the red pants that she wore at the Christmas party what seemed like so long ago. He himself was in a black shirt and black pants of his usual style. He looked at her as she turned back to him and looked down at her hands. He noticed right away that the engagement ring was still on her finger. She looked at him with her emerald eyes and motioned for him to move to sit next to her on the bed. He moved next to her and she took his hand in her small pale one.

"Gaara I didn't want to tell you this until after I got back since I thought it would be too weird for me to explain and didn't think I needed to. I'm sorry if it seems a little odd." She spoke a little softly and Gaara watched her with a plain and slightly scrutinizing expression that he usually wore. She continued when he didn't say anything. "Well my mother died when I was fifteen but my father died when I was only four. I was very young I remember him but not as well as my mother. I wasn't here when my mother died I was training with Lady Tsunade. My mother was out of Konoha getting produce from a village north of Konoha. She was on her way back when she was attacked by rogues and was demanded to give them her money and produce. Well my mother was not going to give them up without a fight because that's just the kind of person she is. She must have tried to fight them and they killed her. Some anbu found her the next day. Tsunade and I got the message and came right back to Konoha. Naruto was still off training with Jiraya and wasn't here. Ino and the rest of them, they comforted me but they didn't know what it felt like. I needed someone to understand but they didn't. They couldn't because they all had at least one parent left and some of them barely ever even spoke with their parents. Naruto came back a few months later and I greeted him at the gate. I was fine until he asked me if my mother was going to enter her cookies in the contest at the Cherry Blossom festival that was coming up in few weeks. I broke down crying right there on my porch steps and told him the whole story." Gaara looked at Sakura who was now crying. His eyes were a little wide as she continued with silent tears rolling down her face. "It will be seven years exactly tomorrow since she died. I wanted to go to her grave and my fathers like I do every year and talk to them. Tell them about what's going on and say hello. It sounds weird but I need to do it I miss her so much and I don't think it's right to leave without saying goodbye." Gaara looked at her as she raised her head up and looked at him. His expression was plain as he looked at her emerald eyes looking worriedly at his reaction and tears streaming down her face. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her head to his chest pulling her into his lap. She was surprised but wrapped her arm around his shoulder and let him cradle her to his chest as she let the last few tears slip out.

"Sakura you didn't have to worry about my reaction. This is something important to you and you never needed to be afraid of what I would say. I understand Sakura." He stroked her hair softly and she looked up at him her tears gone and in their place was a small smile.

"Thank you." She said and reached up to touch his cheek before kissing him softly. She pulled back and he looked into her emerald eyes once again getting lost in their depths. She stared back into his turquoise eyes that seemed to see into the depths of her mind. He leaned forward and kissed her again softly but lingering as his lips stayed on her own. He could taste a little of the salty tears that had fallen onto her lips. He pulled back kissing both of her eyelids before trailing his kisses down to her neck where he kissed her mark making her breath hitch a little. They both felt a tingle as the chakra in the mark reacted with his touch much like the sand in her necklace was. He looked up at her and she smiled. "You know I never thought you could be so, romantic." Gaara chuckled.

"Neither did I this is not like me at all. But then again I haven't exactly been like my old self since I proposed to you. You've changed me Sakura. Just a little and it only ever shows when I'm around you." She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think they'd notice if you spent the night in here?" Gaara looked down at his pink haired fiancé and smiled.

"Not if I get up early tomorrow." Sakura smiled and settled into his lap with her head resting on his shoulder. He leaned back onto the pillows and pulled the covers over them. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"When we're married we won't have to worry about them." Gaara smiled.

"Only nine more days." He kissed her head and shut off the light before succumbing to sleep himself. Gaara woke up the next morning and glanced over at Sakura who was still lying with her head on his shoulder. He lifted her carefully off of him and snuck out of the room so as not to wake her. He was just walking down the hall and into his room when he heard Kankuro's door open. Luckily Gaara shut the door to his room without Kankuro noticing and watched the sleepy puppet master walk past and scratch his head before walking into the bathroom. Gaara pulled his black shirt over his head and threw it into the laundry bin in his room. He pulled out another pair of his usual black pants and his usual crimson coat and vest. He pulled them on and walked out his door. He smelled eggs and figured Sakura had gotten up and was cooking. He walked down the hall and into the kitchen where, to his great surprise, Temari was cooking eggs.

"Morning Gaara! Is Kankuro up yet?" Gaara nodded and sat at the table as Temari handed him a plate of eggs. She smiled nicely at him and Gaara realized she was trying to get them out of the house early and distract them so Sakura could go visit her parents. He ate the eggs quietly as Kankuro walked in and grabbed his plate Temari smiled at them as Sakura walked in.

"Thanks Temari for making breakfast!" Sakura said smiling. She was wearing a black dress with her family symbol on the back and black shorts underneath. She took a plate and ate the eggs quickly smiling at them. Temari stretched and looked at Gaara and Kankuro.

"Hey why don't we go spar? Come on it'll be fun!" She smiled and Kankuro shrugged.

"Sure Sakura are you coming with us?" He looked over at Sakura who was rinsing her plate off in the sink. She smiled and shook her head.

"I need to talk to Hinata's cousin about the cake you guys go and enjoy yourselves." She smiled as they stood up and waved goodbye to her before putting on their coats and leaving. She sighed and walked back into her bedroom grabbing her pack and her cloak. She walked back into the kitchen and put the dishes in the sink before walking over to the door and putting on her shoes. She put on the cloak and opened the door walking out into the street and up towards Ino's flower shop. She opened the door and walked inside. Ino wasn't there but her Aunt was. She smiled and gave Sakura the flowers she ordered. Sakura took them and was about to pay when Ino's Aunt stopped her.

"Ino said that they had already been paid for by her and the other girls." Sakura stopped and smiled.

"Thank you." Ino's Aunt nodded.

"Goodbye!" she said and Sakura walked out of the flower shop. She looked at the flowers and smiled. Three white lilies, a few irises, a few red roses and her father and mother's favorite, Cherry Blossoms. Sakura smiled and reminded herself to thank Ino and the rest of them later. She walked down the road and turned a left. She kept walking through the streets on a familiar but secluded route. She didn't want to be seen by anyone she knew. She just wanted to get to where she was going. She walked down the old path back into the small secluded area on the far side of Konoha. There were trees around an iron gate protecting the inside of the gates and keeping it from view. Inside the gates and was a large graveyard. Towards the back was a corner where two headstones stood. Sakura walked over to them and knelt down. She took out a scroll from her bag and did the hand signals for it. In it was a broom, a cloth and bottle of cleaner, a few sticks of incense, and a red cloth with her family symbol on it. Sakura stood and draped the cloth around the two headstones. She then knelt and picked up the incense sticks putting them into the two bottles on either side of the headstones. She then pulled a match out of her bag and struck it on the ground lighting the incense and letting its sweet smell fill the air. Sakura stood and picked up the bottle of cleaning solution and the rag. She sprayed the solution on either stone and polished each one carefully until it shone. She looked it over before she took the broom and swept the ground until it was clean. Only then did she seal the broom, cloth and bottle of solution back in her scroll. She picked up the flowers and laid them in between the two graves before smiling. She touched the stones gently and began to speak.

"Hello Mom, Dad. I'm sorry I didn't visit earlier. I've been busy training with Lady Tsunade. I'm so much stronger now. I help people, I save lives. I even bring them into the world. I told you when I was little I wanted to help people and now I am. Do you remember when I told you I loved you? I never did say it enough. Dad I finished school and joined a team and I grew. You told me once that I was your little girl. I always will be your little girl Dad. I wish you could have seen me get my promotion to one of the top medics at Konoha hospital Mom. I know you wanted to. I did it for you both. Every step I was pushing I kept you both in mind. I remember what you told me. 'Do what your heart tells you to do first. That's what is right.' I remember I'll never forget. I'm going to be leaving Konoha. I met someone. His name is Gaara no Sabaku. He was in the chunnin exams with me. Mom you must have seen him. He had red hair and dark rings around his eyes. He fought with sand and was one of the strongest there. His sister and brother Temari and Kankuro were in the exams as well. Everyone called him the demon boy. He was so hard and angry back then. He is a Jinchuriki. Like Naruto he has a tailed beast inside of him. He was treated horrible his whole life though and it made him tough and angry. He hated everyone because of it but Naruto showed him what it could be like if he didn't think that way. He changed after that. In the forest though he changed and was almost taken over by Shukaku, his demon. He tried to kill me and would have succeed if Naruto hadn't stopped him. After that he changed. He got his act together and became the Kazekage like his father before him. I hadn't seen him in a long time until he came to Konoha this Christmas Eve. I know it sounds crazy but I fell in love with him. He's unlike anyone I've ever met. He's amazing and so kind and nice. I-I love him with my whole heart." Sakura was now crying. She didn't know why she never cried but here she was sobbing over her parent's graves. She only ever seemed to cry when it came to talking about them. She shook a little but looked up smiling a little. She blinked back the tears but they kept coming so she continued.

"H-he asked me to marry him. I never thought he'd be capable of that but he loves me so deeply and he wants me to be his. I-I said yes. We're getting married in nine days. Oh mom the dress is so beautiful! Ino and the rest of the girls helped me pick it out. Shikamaru and the boys helped Gaara. Shikamaru really helped both of us he is so nice to me. I've seen him visit you sometimes. I know you both really liked him. His parents were very good friends with you. They come here too sometimes but I'm sure you know that. I also wanted to say that Lady Tsunade adopted me. She is like you mom. She helps me so much. She is going to continue what you did. She will never fill that place you left but she is so kind and will be there for me like you were Mom. Dad, Kakashi-sensei is giving me away at my wedding. I wish you were." She looked up at the stones and burst into fresh tears putting her forehead in her hands on her lap. She was kneeling and every sob escaped her lips. "It's not fair. W-why did you both h-have to g-go? I miss you so much! It wasn't fair! Why did they have to kill you mom? Dad why did you have to go!" She cried her small form shaking under the cloak. She heard steps behind her but she didn't care. She was crying so hard sobs escaping her small form as her pink hair hid her face and her forehead pressed into her hands in her lap. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then an arm around her shoulders. She stayed in her position and kept crying as the person sat next to her quietly. She looked up and saw Shikamaru sitting there quietly.

"I wanted to stop by and I saw that you were here. Kankuro is looking for you. He thinks it's odd that you've been gone for three hours." Sakura blinked and looked up at him her emerald eyes red and around them a little bit puffy with tears still rolling down her face and tear streaks all down her cheeks.

"I've been here for three hours?" Shikamaru nodded and Sakura looked back at the graves where the incense sticks were almost burned out. "I didn't notice." She said in a small voice. Shikamaru looked at the graves and helped Sakura stand up. Her knees were stiff for kneeling so long and she healed the sore muscles and stretched them before carefully removing the cloth from the stones and putting it in her bag. Shikamaru took her arm in his when she took a shaky step saying his hellos to both of her parents graves and saying a few quick words before leaving the graveyard with Sakura's arm looped in his. They didn't need to worry about people making comments at them for they had been friends for so long everyone knew they were like a brother and sister. They walked down the road with Sakura healing around her eyes so they were not red and puffy and she looked like she had never even been crying. She looked over at Shikamaru who was watching her.

"I won't tell not even Gaara." Sakura smiled and he did as well leading her down the road to the forest where they unlinked arms and walked through to the training grounds.

END OF CHAPTER 44! REVIEWS BECAUSE THIS CHAPTER IS SO SAD!


	41. Chapter 45

Saki- Guess what?

Naruto- What's up Saki-chan?

Saki-This is Chapter 45! Five more and I'm at fifty!

Naruto- That's amazing! She doesn't own any products or any parts of the company!  
>Chapter 45<p>

Shikamaru walked out onto the training grounds while Sakura snuck up into a tree above where Naruto was resting. Kiba and Kankuro were sparring with Gaara watching and Temari and Tenten sparring as well. Hinata and Ino were talking to each other quietly on the other side of the clearing and Shikamaru walked over to Gaara standing next to him.

"Hello Shikamaru." Gaara said to him as he leaned back against the tree.

"Hello Gaara." He said back. Gaara sighed.

"Did you find her?" He nodded.

"She's here up in the trees. I warn you though do not mention her parents today. It would not be a good idea." Gaara looked over at the shadow nin with a flat expression.

"I never once thought to." Shikamaru nodded. He smirked as Akamaru pounced on Kankuro barking and licking him as Kankuro pushed at the large animal.  
>"Kiba! Get him off me!" Kiba was laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach as he fervently shook his head.<p>

"Sorry Kankuro I can't this is training after all." He grinned and Kankuro continued his efforts to push the dog off of him. Naruto sat by the tree laughing as well and Gaara and Shikamaru turned their gaze to him. He had his arms behind his head and was in a completely relaxed position. They saw him close his eyes again before a flash of pink flew out of the trees and slammed into his back making him go flying across the training grounds. Sakura stood near the tree grinning as Naruto stopped by hitting a tree on the far side of the field. Akamaru stopped his attacks on Kankuro and ran over to Sakura nuzzling her hand and barking happily. She smiled and ruffled his fur as Kiba and Kankuro walked over.

"Hey Sakura how are the wedding preparations going?" Kiba asked smiling. Sakura blinked then nodded.

"They're going great. I came here to see you guys and talk to Neji. Is he here?" Kiba shook his head.

"Why do you need to talk to that ice block?" Kiba asked crossing his arms. She blushed and pulled Kiba aside leaving Kankuro standing there a bit dumbfounded. Kiba looked at her quizzically as she pulled him over to the other end of the training fields. Kiba crossed his arms and looked at her.

"You are being very cryptic. What's up Sakura?" His brow was furrowed as he looked down at her. She took a deep breath and mumbled something Kiba's highly trained ears caught. He looked at her for a moment before bursting out into laughter. Sakura glared at him as everyone's attention was directed towards the blushing but glaring kunoichi and the dog nin doubled over in uproarious laughter. Sakura grabbed onto his ear and dragged the dog nin out of the training fields making him yelp in pain and struggle to keep up with her angry pace. Gaara and Shikamaru watched this odd scene and looked at each other with furrowed brows. Sakura pulled Kiba well out of earshot of anyone before she let go of the yelping boy. "Ok, ok! I'm sorry I laughed! Ouch Sakura that hurt!" He rubbed his ear sorely and looked at her. She was still a light shade of pink as the dog nin straightened up and looked at the blushing girl who was staring at the ground.

"You should be sorry. It's not funny I don't want to ask him but I have to." She sighed and Kiba smiled.

"You know he's not the only one who can do that. Shino can and so can I. I even think Shikamaru can but he would say it was too troublesome and Shino would be more awkward than Neji." Sakura looked up at him and sighed.

"See that's why I need to ask Neji." Kiba laughed and shook his head.

"I'll teach you Sakura." She looked up at him and he grinned showing his large canines clearly. "Come on I'm really good at it but I prefer not to do it. I'll teach you though. Besides it'll be one of my last chances to do it before you're married." Sakura thought about it and nodded.

"I guess you're right but are you sure?" Kiba rolled his eyes and nodded.

"I've known how to since I was a kid. I am the next in line for the head of my clan. I had to know how to for fancy dinners and whatever." He waved it away with his hand and smiled at her. "So what do you already know?" Sakura shifted a little and shrugged.

"Really I just shuffle around and hope I don't mess up. The best I've ever done was move around in a circle uncomfortably. That was at Tsunade's party though and there were a lot of other people doing it." Kiba nodded. "I almost died out there!" Kiba chuckled.

"I doubt you were that bad at dancing Sakura." Sakura looked at him and he backed down. "Well then I guess I have nine days to make you a master." Akamaru stood up and left. He walked back to the training fields where Naruto and Kankuro were sparring and Ino and Tenten were also fighting. Shikamaru and Gaara saw the dog walk back and sit down now becoming increasingly interested in what was going on with Sakura and Kiba. They both decided to go check it out. Back in the forest Sakura was shifting on her feet as Kiba took one of her hands.

"Now put your hand on my waist and I'll put mine on the small of your back." Sakura blushed as he did so making the dog nin grin. Sakura stomped on his foot making him yip and roll his eyes at her. "Now let me lead in the dance. You follow my movements." Sakura did so as he moved slowly in careful steps that Sakura tried to follow. She only stepped on him once before she got the hang of it. Kiba nodded. "Good you're a fast learner. We should have you dancing like a professional in only five days at this rate. Now I'm going to let go of your waist and you spin out before spinning back to me and back in to the same position." Sakura nodded and they continued to dance working up a bit of a sweat completely oblivious to the pair of eyes watching them with amused expressions.

"Dancing lessons?" Shikamaru said smirking. Gaara shook his head.

"I know how to dance so why does she need lessons." Shikamaru chuckled lightly.

"Sakura isn't a very strong dancer so she might mess up. I for one am just glad she chose to learn how to dance with Kiba and not Neji. He's a bit stuck up and might end up in the hospital after one lesson because of her temper." Gaara nodded.

"Yes but I could have taught her." Gaara said evenly. Shikamaru looked over at him and smirked.

"She is way to proud to admit to you that she can't dance well. She asked someone else that she's known for a long time because it would be less embarrassing. Oh and if I ever find out you told her you knew about this I'll personally kick your ass." He smiled and Gaara returned it before they both jumped back to the training fields. When they got there Shikamaru looked at him and walked over to a spot away from where the others were sparring and laid down on the snow covered ground with his arms behind his head. Gaara sat next to him and looked over at the shadow nin.

"How did you meet Sakura?" Shikamaru looked over at him and shrugged.

"We were both babies when we met. Our mothers were great friends. We all grew up together but it was Sakura and I that were almost inseparable. We were friends before she even met Ino. She's like a sister to me. We used to talk all of the time and watch the clouds. The odd thing is that most people who have known each other for that long had some sort of romantic pulls towards each other but we never did. She was my best friend and I never once thought about that. Neither did she." Gaara nodded at him and smiled.

"I'm glad that you are so close to her. That will make it easier to live with you if you marry my sister." Shikamaru's eyes became wide and he turned beet red as he did a rare thing. Shikamaru spluttered and was at a loss for words. Gaara sat there watching him with a look of triumph on his face. He eventually managed to form coherent words and gulped before speaking.

"What do you mean Temari's just my friend!" The shadow nin was still blushing and Gaara merely shook his head.

"When are you going to make your move? Attack head on and show no fear and all of that. She likes you a lot. I overheard her and Sakura talking and she said she wished you'd stop dragging your feet and ask her out already. At least ask her to dance at the reception, both of them." Shikamaru was still blushing but had controlled it a little better.

"I guess I'm just too lazy for my own good sometimes." Gaara chuckled as Temari walked over towards them. He stood up and looked at Shikamaru who watched him leave.

"You're on your own." He looked on a bit flabbergasted as Gaara walked away and Temari walked over and sat next to him. He looked away and started talking calmly keeping the blush completely off of his face with a look of boredom. He said something that made Temari squeal and hug him making the shadow nin blush again heavily as Temari squeezed him to her chest. At this point everyone was watching them and Temari blushed quickly letting go of Shikamaru and pretending to be very interested in her fan suddenly. Shikamaru however had fallen backwards onto the grass in a dead faint. The act of Temari hugging him to her chest was something the lazy genius was not used to and his mind had shut down. Gaara smiled to himself as Naruto and Kankuro attempted to rouse the shadow nin by fanning him and propping him up against a tree. He woke with a start and made everyone laugh as he looked around rather confused. When he saw Temari blushing near him he promptly smiled and blushed himself. Everyone was making the connection now and Ino had an evil grin on her face that all of the boys noticed. Just then Sakura and Kiba returned and Akamaru bounded up to the boy barking. Kiba listened to the dogs barking and looked up at the blushing Shikamaru propped against the tree and the equally red Temari not far away. He started laughing as he leaned over to relay the story to Sakura. She smiled and walked over to Temari nudging her in the ribs making her turn and grin.

"Nice going." Temari smiled.

"Gaara talked to him I think because he asked me out as soon as Gaara left and I walked over." Sakura looked at the Kazekage to see him smirking while casually leaning against a tree. Kankuro and Naruto were interrogating Shikamaru no doubt asking him about him and Temari. Sakura walked over to Gaara and slid silently next to him their bodies touching. He looked down at her and she smiled.

"Do you want to go get some soba?" He nodded and they called to the others saying they were leaving. Hinata left as well followed by Ino who was chatting to her about the wedding. Temari and a still slightly blushing Shikamaru left to go get some ramen with Naruto and Kankuro. Kiba and Akamaru headed back towards the compound leaving the training fields empty. Gaara looked over at Sakura who was humming as she walked. She caught his stare and blushed. He smiled and took her hand.

"I will never get used to that." Sakura looked at him with a confused expression.

"Get used to what?" He poked her cheeks.

"You blushing." Sakura laughed and Gaara merely smiled.

"Well then you'll have to deal with it quite often I'm afraid. Well we're here." They walked into the soba restaurant and sat down as Kari took their orders and Sakura felt the stares from the people in the restaurant on her back. Gaara didn't seem to notice as he thanked Kari for the soba and paid for it as Sakura gave him a stern glance.

"Oh don't give me that look Sakura. I'm your fiancé I should be allowed to pay for your dinner. Just deal with it." He said looking at her with his turquoise eyes that made Sakura melt every time. She rolled her eyes and ate the soba quietly trying to block out the feeling of people watching her. Gaara still seemed unaffected by the stares that people were giving them. Obviously everyone had read the article about their engagement. She just wished they wouldn't stare.

_"They should be used to it by now." _Sakura thought bitterly.

_"Used to what?"_ Inner commented bored.

_"Used to shinobi and kunoichi eating in town. I know I'm engaged to Gaara but nobody ever used to stare when it was regular shinobi and kunoichi's eating around but now since I'm engaged I suddenly become oh so interesting." _Inner rolled her eyes and didn't comment disappearing into the depths of her mind. Gaara looked at his pink haired fiancé who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Sakura?" He said cautiously and her head snapped up. She gave him a smile and continued eating. He shrugged it off and finished his soba as she finished hers. They walked out of the Soba shop and back to her house. Kankuro and Temari were already there talking in the living room. They quickly shut up when Sakura and Gaara walked in and Sakura didn't miss Temari shoving a scroll in her pack. Sakura looked at them and sat down on the couch. She talked to Temari for a while as Gaara went and took a warm shower. Kankuro took one after him and Sakura decided to take one herself. She told them she was going to turn in early because she was tired. They all nodded and watched as she walked out of the room.

"Was she acting a bit, off today?" Temari said as soon as they heard the shower running. Kankuro nodded.

"She seemed a little bit run down and spacey all day." Gaara sat quietly on the couch and stretched.

"She's tired. She had a long night at the hospital the other day and she needs to recover." Temari looked at Kankuro and shrugged.

"That seems like a good explanation." Kankuro agreed and leaned back into the sofa. They all went to their rooms one after another after that falling asleep rather quickly. The next few days seemed to follow a pattern. They woke up and went to the training fields where they sparred with their friends and afterwards they all went out to eat at Ichiraku's. Sakura then snuck away to take dancing lessons from Kiba. Then they all went their separate ways and talked to friends of theirs or the girls discussed wedding plans. Before anyone knew it was the day before the wedding. Sakura woke up groggy and tired and trudged into her bathroom where she was scared to death by Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Temari standing in her bathroom.

"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW!" They all screamed. Except for Hinata who merely shrugged apologetically at the shell shocked Sakura.

"I know but why the hell are you all in my bathroom?" Sakura shouted back and the girls just grinned before pushing her behind the shower curtain and telling her to take a shower and then come back into her bedroom. Sakura did as they said and walked back into her room in her plain white bra and panties. Ino looked at her and shook her head.

"Guess what we found Sakura!" Ino said smiling as she held up a lacey pair of black panties that Sakura had completely forgot about along with a corset. Sakura visibly paled as she saw the scroll with the forgotten lingerie from the mission laying open on her bed. Tenten was grinning as she looked at the lingerie and Temari was laughing the corset Ino held.

"Oh I am so going to see you in that!" The corset was forced into her arms along with the matching boy shorts with the red heart on the back. She was pushed back into the bathroom and emerged a minute later with the black corset on and the red ribbon tied in a neat bow on her chest. She blushed and tugged on the boy shorts as Temari and the girls squealed over her.

"Oh my gosh Sakura you're so gorgeous in that!" Ino exclaimed and Hinata nodded blushing as much as Sakura was. Temari grinned evilly and walked over to her.

"Let's see if we can't tie you up and mail you to Gaara." She held up a ribbon menacingly and Sakura shrieked as she ran towards her making Sakura bolt out of her room and across the hallway into a room she forgot wasn't empty. Unfortunately for her there wasn't just one boy in the room. There were three. She gasped as she slammed the door and turned around to face a very surprised Naruto, Kiba, and Kankuro sitting around a scroll open on the floor. Their jaws all dropped as Sakura turned a tomato red. All three got nosebleeds and fell backwards on the floor as Sakura bolted back out of the room and straight into hers slamming the door. Temari and the girls all laughed at her to the point they were gasping for breath. Sakura glared at them angrily and grabbed her clothes from Ino stalking into the bathroom and slamming the door. Temari was the first o catch her breath and looked at the rest of them.

"That was a bit mean to her." Ino shrugged.

"She deserved it for hiding it. Come on Forhead we're going to have a bachelorette party all day and we need to get you ready." They heard Sakura mumble something before opening the door dressed in her white bra and panties.

"I'm not taking them off." She said glaring at the girls. They shrugged. Ino stood up and threw her a pink kimono like the ones they were all wearing. It was simple with Sakura blossoms on the side. Ino was in a purple one, Temari in a white one, Tenten wearing a light green one and Hinata in a pale blue one. Ino helped her get it on and they all fussed over her hair ending up brushing it and putting a hairclip on one side. They then walked into the hall where Kiba stood. He looked at Sakura and smiled.

"Hey Sakura." She blushed and walked past him as the girls snickered. They saw the rest of the guys in the kitchen. Shikamaru and Lee were practically strangling Naruto who was protesting heavily. Sakura looked at the odd scene of Neji, Shino, and Choji watching them attack Naruto and Kankuro trying calmly to explain to Gaara why. Gaara looked rather angry but when he saw Sakura he calmed down a bit and ran his eyes along her body. She blushed and the girls ushered her away from the boys who were all staring. Shikamaru had let go of Naruto and was leaning against the counter watching Temari as her and Ino steered Sakura out towards the door. As soon as they were gone Choji dragged Kiba into the room and put him next to Kankuro and Naruto leaning on the counter. They all turned on them some of them glaring or merely standing there.

"Ok so what happened that made her scream?" Shikamaru said glaring at the three. Naruto fidgeted.

"Well you see…the girls….they uh…Kiba?" He looked at the brown haired nin for help sweating a little. Kiba looked at Kankuro and smiled nervously.

"Kankuro?" Shikamaru glared at him and crossed his arms. Kankuro rubbed his neck nervously.

"The girls put her in an outfit she didn't like and pushed her into our room. She didn't like it, it was nothing really. I swear." Shikamaru glared at them again and nodded.

"Alright well that's ok then." They all sighed in relief and then turned with beaming grins towards Gaara.

"Alright well the girls are gone for their bachelorette day so let's get going for our bachelor day!" Naruto said happily. Gaara sighed and nodded.

"Let's get this torture over with." Naruto grabbed his arm and practically drug him out the door followed by the rest of the guys. Shikamaru was calmer now and followed them talking to Choji as Kakashi and Gai met up with them outside. Gaara looked curiously at Naruto who grinned.

"Yo." Kakashi said plainly smiling at them with his visible eye. Gai stood behind them smiling as he flashed Gaara the thumbs up sign. Gaara inwardly groaned and Shukaku growled angrily. He nodded to them as Naruto and Kankuro pulled him down the road to a spot near the Konoha bridge. Gaara looked at them quizzically as Naruto summoned a Giant toad.

"Gamabunta. I need to you to take us somewhere." The toad looked at him from across the bridge and scowled slightly. He then saw Gaara and nodded.

"I know where to go Naruto climb on." Naruto looked at Gaara and jumped onto the giant toad's back the rest of them followed suit and Gamabunta set off at a fast pace.

"Mind telling me where we are going?" Gaara said coolly. Kankuro grinned.

"Just go with it. You'll have fun. At least it's better than what I heard the girls were planning I feel so bad for Sakura." Kankuro said wistfully making Gaara's eye twitch. He chuckled and clapped him on the back. "Come on enjoy your last day of being a single man!" This earned a round of shouts from the boys on the back on the toad. Gamabunta stopped and Naruto grinned.

"Come on we're here!" Lee and Naruto were the first ones off the toad and the rest followed with Kiba jumping down next to Akamaru who had come along with them. They were stopped in the middle of a large field. Gaara looked at Naruto as Gamabunta disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Now will you please explain to me what is going on?" Gaara asked as calmly as he could without yelling at the blonde. Naruto smirked.

"We are going to spar then we are going to go and party at a place Kankuro reserved for us. We are near Konoha but I needed it to seem like we were farther away so I had Gamabunta do a few circles." Gaara maintained a stoic expression as Kankuro hit Naruto over the head.

"You weren't supposed to tell him that!" Naruto shrugged and said simply.

"Oops." Shikamaru rolled his eyes but Lee smiled jumping next to Gaara.

"Come on Gaara I challenge you to a sparring match!" Kiba grinned and walked over.

"Hey why don't we do teams? Like a capture the flag thing." Naruto nodded.

"Alright we can do three teams of three and one team of two. Hm ok so Neji, Shino and Choji, you can be the blue team." Naruto pulled a blue scroll out of his bag and handed it to them. "Kakashi-sensei and Gai can be the two man green team." He handed them a green scroll as Kakashi sweat dropped. "I'll be with Kiba and Gaara. We'll be the red team." He handed Gaara a red scroll. "That leaves Lee, Kankuro, and Shikamaru as the yellow team." He handed them the last scroll and grinned.

"We'll hide our scrolls and signal when we are ready. The object is to retrieve the other team's scrolls. You must have your scroll and two other teams scrolls. We'll meet back here in two hours. Rules can be no serious injuries and no major jutsu's" They all nodded as Kankuro relayed the rules.

"So we'll start now." Gaara said and the teams all went off in different directions carrying their respective scrolls. Meanwhile the girls had made it to the town they were going to. Tsunade and Shizune were already there with Kurenai.

"Sakura! I haven't had a chance to congratulate you and now here we are a day before your wedding!" Kurenai squealed and embraced her smiling warmly. Sakura hugged her back and thanked her saying hello to Tsunade and hugging her as a crying Shizune squeezed her tightly and sobbed something that sounded like,

"I'm s-so ha-happy for y-you!" Sakura pat her back as the girls ushered her inside the hot spring place. Sakura looked around the inside and realized it was very lavish and expensive. Ino smiled and Temari grinned at her.

"This is just the beginning Sakura! Hot springs then a facial and manicure with pedicure and a full body massage. Then we head back to Konoha and get dressed for the party!" Sakura paled visibly at the word party. Ino smiled at her and put and arm around her shoulders.

"Come on Forehead lighten up!" Sakura nodded and smiled as Tsunade showed them to their room. It was a gorgeous room full of plush furniture and a long table. Sakura walked over to the changing screens with the other girls and they all slid into their plain white silk robes. Sakura smiled and walked out with her towel to the large private hot springs where Tsunade and Shizune were already relaxing. Kurenai slipped into the water along with the other girls. They all smiled and settled into the warm water. Kurenai looked over at Sakura and smiled.

"You know Sakura I remember the day you were born oddly enough. I was young, only in my teens, but I knew your mother. I babysat you once. You were so young you probably don't remember. I remember you had the cutest little laugh. I can't wait to see your children they will be just as adorable!" Kurenai said happily. Sakura blushed heavily and Ino and the others laughed.

"Hey Forehead do you remember when we were little and we used to play dress up?" Ino asked and Sakura nodded.

"I remember we played wedding a lot. You were always the groom because you said you were a better leader." Sakura said smiling. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well I made a hotter guy than you did!" The girls laughed and Ino continued. "Do you remember when we were playing wedding and you tripped over that old dress your mother let you borrow? The one that was so big on you?" Sakura nodded and Ino continued. "I remember that didn't you roll down that hill right into the patch of brambles?" Sakura nodded and stuck her tongue out at Ino.

"It took me a whole week to get those brambles out of my hair!" Ino smiled.

"Oh I remember when I first met you Sakura. It was at the chunnin exams and Lee attacked you right away with the whole, 'My name is Rock Lee and I want you to be my girlfriend' thing. You looked absolutely horrified and I couldn't help thinking it was hysterical!" Tenten laughed and Sakura nodded. Tsunade smiled and looked at the girls.

"When I was a kid in my team with Jiraya we used to tease him endlessly. Once we tied him to a flag pole and wouldn't let him down until he admitted he liked someone. I never did find out what her name was though so he may have made a move on her but I never noticed. He once tried asking me and I sent him flying through three walls. I was only a chunnin at the time but I still had plenty of strength." The girls looked at each other and held back giggled knowing exactly who Jiraya liked. They thought it was amusing that Tsunade was so oblivious.

"I-I remember when I was little and I met you Sakura. You were so nice to me." Hinata said and Sakura smiled as the others nodded.

"You were always nice to us Sakura, well almost always. I mean you and Ino had that fight over Sasuke but you got over it eventually." Tenten said smiling. They all talked idly until Tsunade said they should go get their nails done. They all agreed and walked inside drying off before putting on their silk robes and walking down the hall to a room where the manicurists and pedicurists were waiting. Each girl sat in a chair and put their feet into the basins of warm water beneath them. The manicurist asked them what color nail polish they wanted and they all picked.

"We'll all get a light blue to match the bridesmaid dresses! Oh and little white flowers on them would be nice as well!" Ino said to the others they all nodded and Sakura looked at her manicurist who was waiting for her answer.

"She'll have a pink background with white and pink cherry blossom flowers with black branches." Tsunade said casually from next to Sakura. The manicurist nodded and smiled at her before starting to file her nails and shape them. Ino sighed and leaned back in the chair as the manicurist and pedicurist worked on her.

"Forehead when you are the Kazekage's wife you are so taking us to more places like this!" Sakura laughed and leaned back closing her eyes. She stayed that way until she felt the manicurist's hands leave her fingers. She opened her eyes and saw the gorgeous nails she had painted. She looked over at Ino's and saw they were just as beautiful they all smiled and talked as they walked into another room for their facials and full body massages.

_"I could definitely get used to this." _Sakura thought as her face was slathered in a mud cream and careful hands started to massage her arms relaxing her muscles and making her smile happily.

END OF CHAPTER 45! REVIEWS FOR THE AMAZINGNESS! I may not update unless I get at least 85 reviews!


	42. Chapter 46

Saki- Hey Akamaru!

Kiba-What I don't get a hello Saki-chan?

Saki- Of course you do Kiba!

Kiba-So they're getting married!

Saki- Come on say it so we can get on with the story!

Kiba- She doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 46

The boys had all hid their scrolls and signaled they were ready. Gaara looked over at Naruto who had made seven shadow clones. They all set out in different directions. Gaara sent out his sand to search for chakra signals. He opened his closed eyes when he felt one on west side of the forest. He looked over at Kiba and Akamaru. "West side of the forest is a chakra signal." Kiba nodded and set off to find the person with Akamaru. The real Naruto stood next to him. They were far away from their scroll so as to throw the others off. However they all were ninjas and were smart enough to know not to be near their scrolls. Naruto looked over at Gaara and smiled.

"I'm going to go explore the east side you can stay here if you'd like." Gaara nodded and summoned his sand around him making it lift him up to the tops of the trees. He flew over the forest and saw a flash of black through a sparse part in the trees. He knew it was Kankuro and dropped down to his level immediately following him in hot pursuit and tracking him with his sand. Kankuro stopped and faced him and grinned.

"Lucky me I get to face you first little brother." He summoned his puppet and Gaara and he sparred for a while until Naruto showed up with Neji chasing after him. They all started sparring and laughing or in Gaara and Neji's case, just smiling. Soon enough Kakashi showed up and sat in the tree watching them spar for a while and saw Naruto slip away and be replaced by a clone who was killed off by Neji easily making him nod. Kankuro disappeared in a puff of smoke and Gaara took the advantage to leave in a swirl of sand. Kakashi smiled seeing how strong they all were just sparring. He saw Shikamaru in a tree not too far away and decided he would like to try and spar with the shadow nin.

"Gaara! I've got the yellow team's scroll. We have to keep it low key though." Naruto's clone said appearing in front of Gaara on the limb he was standing on. Gaara nodded and the clone disappeared. He heard Kankuro yelling and smirked as he heard his familiar shouts.

"AGH! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE BUGS?" He smiled as he realized Kankuro must be once again facing the bug nin. Sure enough a few minutes later Kankuro went running past him across the branches with a small swarm of kikai chasing after him. The bug master himself was in a tree nearby. He nodded to Gaara and disappeared. Gaara decided to find Kiba who was facing off against Choji on the West side of the forest. Gai was watching them fight and was sparring against Lee pushing him to fight harder. They noticed Gaara and let him join in the sparring match against Lee and Gai. He had Lee surrounded in sand after quite a while but let him go smiling. Lee grinned.

"Gaara you fight with a youthful passion!" Gaara shook his head a little as Kiba face palmed. Shikamaru and Kakashi showed up in a few minutes with Naruto, Shino, Neji, and Kankuro right after them.

"Someone won?" Neji asked leaning against a tree. Naruto looked confused and looked at Gaara who was smirking.

"Naruto, the yellow scroll." Naruto nodded and pulled out the yellow scroll. Akamaru returned with Gaara's red scroll and Gaara's sand brought the green scroll. Kakashi sweat dropped when Gai hit him on the back and proclaimed,

"I was at fault rival I did not hide the scroll well enough!" He broke into tears but then pumped his fist in the air and gave the nice Gai pose before shouting. "I am proud of your team's youthfulness Gaara! Let us go celebrate at the party!" Kankuro shook his head and put a hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"I hate to agree with him but let's get to the party!" He grinned and Kiba hollered happily along with Naruto who summoned Gamabunta again and jumped onto his back along with the others. Gaara looked over at Kankuro and he grinned.

"You'll love where I got for the party." Gaara looked at him with a questioning and somewhat stern expression.

"If it is anything like the party you said you'd do I promise you I won't stick around for more than a minute." Kankuro put up his hands in a defeated pose.

"I said no strippers and I meant it." Gaara nodded.

"Well then I think this might be enjoyable." Kankuro grinned.

"That's the spirit!" Gamabunta stopped and they all jumped down. Kiba sent Akamaru back to the compound and Naruto grinned as they walked into a small club. It was dark when they walked in and when the lights came on Gaara saw a few nameless male anbu Jiraya, Iruka, Ibiki, Kisho, and even Baki. Gaara's eyes widened when he saw Baki standing there proudly.

"When did you get here?" Gaara asked when everyone calmed down. Baki smiled.

"Last night. Kankuro told me to come. There is no way I was going to miss the Kazekage's bachelor party." He grinned and handed Gaara a glass of something which Gaara quickly pushed aside. It was picked up by Jiraya who sat next to Gaara and grinned.

"Hey Kazekage I haven't congratulated you on getting such a hottie for a fiancé! Sakura's a real fox just like her adoptive mother." He grinned and Gaara nodded a bit angry at the Pervy Sage for calling his mate a fox. Jiraya continued pulling out a pack of books that made Kakashi, who was standing nearby, chuckle. Gaara looked at the title of the top book and inwardly groaned while Shukaku growled his happy approval.

_"Why did I have to get stuck with the perverted hormonal badger?" _Shukaku chuckled and disappeared back into Gaara's mind. He looked at Jiraya who grinned before downing a drink and saying, "enjoy oh and I recommend page 47 it is rather interesting." And walking away. Gaara put the books in his cloak and put it near the door before going to find his brother who was sitting at a table and talking and laughing with Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto and Choji. He sat next to Kankuro and looked at Naruto who smiled and beamed at him.

"So having fun yet Gaara?" He asked and Gaara shrugged.

"It's nice thank you all." Naruto beamed and Kankuro nodded.

"I said he'd like it. But this is only the first part." Gaara looked at Shikamaru for clarification but the shadow nin merely smirked and shook his head.

"Isn't the second part a little late?" Naruto said to Kiba and he nodded.

"It's to be expected though it takes forever." Choji nodded. Gaara was a bit confused but decided to wait and see what it was while the people around the club talked and laughed together. Every once in a while someone would stop and congratulate him before walking away again.

The girls were finished with their massages and were back in the room where a maid brought in a bunch of dress bags. Sakura looked confused until Ino opened a bag and Sakura saw the red dress she bought on the mission with a pair of black lacey lingerie. The girls all gushed over the dress before pulling out their own dresses. Ino had a halter top dress that was a lovely purple color and reached her knees. It was simple but fit her perfectly. The back of the dress was open and looked really nice. Tenten had a simple pink dress that had the same top style as her regular style but continued into a dress that flared out gently and would end around her knees. The back had a small circle that was cut out of it. Hinata's dress was a dark blue dress that was ankle length like Sakura's hers had no slits in it and flared a bit at the bottom the top had off the shoulder long sleeves and a ruffled front. It was very conservative and so Hinata. Temari's dress was a pale blue and had off the shoulder short straps and a low neckline that had fishnet mesh sewn into it. The dress itself looked much like her normal outfit and reached to her knees. It also had a dark blue sash around the waist that hung lopsided on the dress. Tsunade didn't have a dress but didn't seem to mind. Neither did Kurenai who wore her usual dress and Shizune who did the same. The girls all pushed Sakura behind a screen with the lacey lingerie and the red dress. Sakura grudgingly put them on and stepped out as they other girls changed into their dresses. Tsunade and Kurenai pulled Sakura into a chair and helped her curl her hair so it hung nicely around her shoulders. It was still short and barely reached her shoulder but it looked lovely on her. The other girls looked just as good and all grabbed their coats before rushing out the door and down the road to a small club on the far side of Konoha. Sakura looked at them quizzically as she heard laughter from inside and Tsunade took all of the girls coats before shoving them through the door making Sakura stumble inside first as Tsunade loudly proclaimed,

"The girls have arrived!" Sakura blinked as music flared up and she caught sight of the men looking at her and Gaara's shocked face on the far side of the room along with the other males that had turned around and upon seeing the girls, let their jaws drop open. Sakura and Hinata blushed furiously and hid behind Temari and Tenten. The men hollered and grinned as Temari pulled Sakura over to Gaara's table where she was pushed into the booth next to Gaara as Temari smiled at Shikamaru and he got up to go talk to her. Choji got up and left to go find Ino and Kiba and Naruto merely sat there staring at Sakura who was blushing fiercely.

"I haven't seen that dress before is it new?" Gaara said trying to make Sakura more comfortable. She nodded and he smiled. "I like it." Kiba was staring at Sakura and saw a bright red mark on her neck. He looked at it a bit more closely and smirked. Naruto noticed it as well but had no idea what it was at first.

"Sakura-chan what's on your neck?" Sakura blushed and Gaara noticed that her dress did indeed show off the bright red kanji on her neck.

"A mark Naruto." She blushed again as Naruto looked at her quizzically. Kiba leaned over to explain it to him as Gaara quickly stood up and grabbed Sakura's hand towing her to the dance floor. He grasped her waist and her other hand and she did the same leaning against his chest for a moment and sighing. "Thank you Gaara." He smiled down at her and spun her around in a quick circle.

"My pleasure Ms. Haruno." She giggled and he smiled again. They danced slowly to the song until a fast paced one came on. They then resorted to shuffling to the music along with everyone else. Sakura moved her shoulders side to side with her eyes closed making Gaara watch her with a hunger he hadn't felt before. Shukaku laughed in his head and he figured it was him making him feel like that. He shut him out and continued to shuffle next to Sakura and her beautiful red dress. He really did love that dress. She looked lovely in it and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He smirked and grabbed her around the waist spinning her in a circle and making her laugh. He smiled and took her hand in his as they shuffled across the floor. Ino and Choji were dancing and laughing as well as Temari and Shikamaru. Sakura looked at Gaara and smiled. She pulled him off of the dance floor and over to a table by themselves. "Sakura is there something on your mind?" He asked as she watched the other people dancing rather distracted. She turned to him and sighed standing up and walking over to the door. He followed her and they snuck outside standing in the cold air. Gaara draped a coat over her shoulders and she smiled.

"I wanted to tell you something I haven't told anyone besides Tsunade-sama." Gaara looked at little confused but nodded. "You should understand more than anyone. Not only because you're my fiancé but you have a similar trait. Mine's different though. By a lot."

"Sakura you know you can tell me anything and it won't make a difference." She nodded and smiled at him.

"I have an Inner self. She's like me but voices things I can't and is a completely split personality. Tsunade-sama says that she may actually appear and take over me when I need her to. I can block her out but she appears in my dreams as a separate version of me in black and white. She talks to me a lot and carries out conversations with me in my dreams and sometimes in real life. I can't explain it any better than that. Tsunade-sama says that she might actually be a result of a kekai genkai that my family had. When Ino tried to get into my head I forced her out. Well not really me but Inner forced her out and created a barrier in my mind so that she couldn't get through. It hurt her. Inner had the ability to hurt Ino and force her out of my head. Tsunade thinks I have a completely split Inner and Outer personality that can merge and might be able to trade places if the need arises. I thought you should know." She blushed and looked down at the ground. Gaara lifted her chin up and looked her in the eyes.

"Sakura Shukaku is always in my head bugging me I know what you mean. Not completely but I understand how annoying it is to have someone else talking to you and having to force them down and keep them from getting too annoying." Sakura laughed and he grinned. He leaned down and kissed her indulging in her sweet lips before they slipped back into the club. Nobody had noticed their absence and the party continued until a drunken Tsunade said they all needed their beauty sleep and everyone started leaving. Sakura was walked home by Ino and Tenten while Hinata had already left long before. They said goodbye to her and told her they'd be over at eight the next morning to prepare her for the wedding. Sakura nodded and sighed. She walked inside and was scooped up by Gaara. This made her yelp and then laugh as he kissed her lightly. He carried her to her room and laid her on the bed before leaning over and kissing her.

"Temari will castrate you if she catches you in here. Shikamaru's walking her home and they should be here soon." She warned him. He smirked and growled lightly as he traced his kisses down her neck before sucking sharply on her mark. Sakura sucked in her breath and he looked up at her with an amused smile.

"I'll leave but that means I get to sweep you off your feet and carry you to the Kazekage building in Suna when we get there." Sakura thought this over before sighing and nodding.

"Alright but you know Temari's not going to let you into my room until we have been married in Suna. Bad for politics and the image and whatnot." She smiled and he chuckled before kissing her lightly.

"Sleep well Ms. Haruno." She smiled and giggled.

"You too Mr. Sabaku." He smiled and left the room as Temari walked down the hallway. She stopped at Sakura's room and walked over to her before enveloping her in a hug.

"Oh Sakura I can't believe you're getting married tomorrow! I don't care what Ino says we are all going to help you get ready!" Sakura laughed as Temari called goodnight to her before skipping down the hallway. Sakura took off her red dress and folded it into her bag before looking around her room. It seemed bare since it had been stripped of its knickknacks, pictures, clothing, and any other little things Sakura decided to take with her. She sighed and looked at the three scrolls now resting on her dresser. Her pajamas were in the bag of clothing and she pulled them out along with a pair of white lingerie that was luckily one of the more conservative pairs. The panties had lace around the edges and the bra was padded and had lace around the edges as well. She threw them on her dresser and pulled on the pajamas before sealing the clothing bag into a scroll. She yawned and walked over to the bed flopping onto it in exhaustion. Sakura was tired but nervous at the same time. She stared into her empty closet across from her bed. The one thing left in the closet was a big white bag. She sighed and rolled over to look at the blank wall across from her before closing her eyes and willing herself to fall asleep. She needed her rest and drifted off into a familiar place. Inner Sakura was sitting next to her when she opened her eyes and they were sitting on a familiar hill that Sakura recognized as the hill Ino and she used to gather flowers on. It was warm and there was only a slight breeze making it beautiful and comfortable. Inner didn't say anything at first she merely sat there and looked at Sakura.

END OF CHAPTER 46! REVIEWS!


	43. Chapter 47

Saki-OMG OMG MARRIAGE CHAPTER!

Neji- Why are you all excited? It's not like it's important.

Saki- WHAT! NOT IMPORTANT! Come on that's just plain mean!

Neji- So. She owns no Naruto or Naruto products.

Saki-HIDANN! HE'S BEING MEAN TO ME!

Chapter 47

_"Umm any particular reason why you're staring at me?" Sakura asked raising an eyebrow at Inner. _

_"Well you were just sitting there I thought you were going to go into some rant or something. You usually end up doing that anyways so I thought we'd get it over with early on." Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at Inner. _

_"So I'm getting married tomorrow and I have to say I'm a little nervous." Inner snorted and Sakura glared a little. _

_"No Sakura I thought you were going cliff diving. I know you're getting married and I'd have thought you'd gone insane if you weren't worried. Just go with it. I mean you're in love with him right?" Sakura nodded. "Well than go get married become the Kazekage's wife and run the hospital. I'm going to enjoy watching you yell at those bakas that they have running the hospital now. Maybe I might be able to join in the fun. That's only apparently during time of intense stress or anger. Like Naruto and the fox's chakra." Sakura sighed and laid back on the ground staring up at the clouds in her dream. _

_"Do you think I'm ready?" Inner looked at her and raised an eyebrow. _

_"For what? Marriage?" Sakura shook her head._

_"No not marriage per se but being a wife. The Kazekage's wife someone people look up to and someone running a hospital and then keeping up with a marriage." Inner chuckled surprising Sakura as she looked over at her split personality. _

_"Sakura if you didn't think you could do these things you would have backed out a long time ago or said no to him. But you didn't and you can do those things because you're you. You've become someone people already do look up to and you have shown you are more than capable of balancing a relationship and work. As much as I hate to admit it I really don't help all that much. You could survive without me and you practically do." Sakura grinned and nodded making Inner cross her arms angrily. "Hey I never said you could rub it in!" She said angrily making Sakura laugh. _

_"Inner you can sure change the mood. Hey don't be a stranger when I get married but butt out sometimes." Inner rolled her eyes as Sakura laughed again. _

_"Sakura I'm you and your me I can't be a stranger I live inside your head." Sakura looked at her with an odd look and shook her head. _

_"Bad thought I'm going to pretend that doesn't sound creepy and a complete invasion of my privacy." Inner grinned. _

_"You have no privacy with me." Sakura paled and Inner laughed. _

_"I hope that's not true." Inner shrugged. _

_"You'll never know." She stuck out her tongue and Sakura sighed exasperated. _

_"You are impossible to live with." Inner grinned and Sakura merely smiled. She felt herself leaving the dream as something or someone splashed cold water on her face. _

"Sakura get up!" Ino's voice was definitely not what Sakura had expected to hear as cold water was splashed on her. She shot up into bed spluttering and coughing as she turned on the blonde with a slightly deranged expression.

"What in Kami's name was THAT for?" Sakura shouted glaring at the blonde who laughed.

"I'm sorry Sakura you wouldn't get up and time is of the essence. I can't take you seriously when your air is like that." Temari snickered and Tenten laughed as the pinkette reached her hand up to feel the tangled mass of hair on her head making her groan.

"Well now I'm up, I'm soaked to the bone and my hair is in a huge knot." Ino smiled as Sakura sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her eyes. She had barely stood up planning to trudge to the bathroom when she was assaulted by Temari, Tenten, and Ino.

"We've got a bath ready for you and Tenten said she'll wash your hair while Hinata gets the blow dryer and the dress ready. Temari can help Tenten. Sakura looked at them confused but only had time to yelp in protest as Ino pulled her pajama top over her head and Sakura pulled down her pajama pants leaving her shivering in her underwear. She walked into the bathroom and the girls stood outside the closed door as she took off her underwear and stepped into the warm bubble filled tub. She told the girls they could come in and they did as Tenten and Temari walked over to the tub and told Sakura to dunk her head. She did and as soon as she had flipped her hair back Tenten poured Cherry scented shampoo in her hair and began to massage it into a bubbly mop of hair. Temari poured a pitcher of water over her head washing out the shampoo before she poured in some Cherry scented conditioner and repeated the process. Ino was busy fixing the dress on Sakura's bed as Sakura was forced to let Tenten and Temari pull her hair back with a comb while it was still wet making her cringe as they struggled to get the knots out. Eventually with much pulling and fuss Sakura's hair was effectively knot free. She stood up in the bath as Tenten wrapped a towel around her. She dried off with another one as Temari dried her hair. The girls then brought her over to a chair in front of her mirror and started blow drying her hair. Ino was talking to Hinata about the makeup and they decided to do a light makeup that showed off her features but let her natural beauty take over.

"Oh do a light pink eye shadow! Not too much blush just a little she blushes so much anyways. No eye liner and just a tiny bit of mascara. Oh and maybe just some lip gloss not lip stick." Ino said and Hinata nodded.

"Keep it natural." She said in a small voice as Tenten and Temari turned off the blow dryer.

"Oh a bun would be so nice with the dress!" Temari said as Tenten played with her hair and brushed it again.

"That's a great idea! We can use the cherry blossom pins for the veil as well!" Temari nodded enthusiastically as they heard a knock on the door.

"If it's a girl you can come in!" Ino called and they heard the door open.

"Sakura I wanted to give you something of mine. I guess you can consider it 'old' here it's for you." Tsunade said walking into the bathroom and handing Sakura a package as Ino finished with her mascara and started on her eye shadow. Sakura smiled at her and Tsunade watched her with misty eyes. "I still can't believe you're getting married Sakura." She said and the girls all murmured their agreement. Tenten had finished with Sakura's hair and Hinata was almost done with her lip gloss as Ino finished with her eyes. She blinked as she looked in the mirror.

"Oh Sakura you look beautiful! Now we have to get you in your dress!" Ino said clapping her hands together as they rushed Sakura into her room. Ino picked up the dress and carefully undid the sipper at the back before letting Sakura pull on her underwear behind the changing screen in her room. She was wearing the white lingerie she had laid out the night before and blushed as Ino grinned at her before having her step into the dress. She carefully put it on as Tsunade zipped up the zipper. She was wearing her Hokage uniform and smiled as she looked at Sakura. Hinata tied the sash in a bow on Sakura and Ino and Temari attached her veil with the Cherry Blossom clips.

"Sakura you look amazing!" Temari gushed and the girls all agreed as Sakura sat on the bed and picked up the package Tsunade gave her. She opened it and gasped when she pulled out a pair of earrings made of crystal that were a light pink color and hung down. She turned to her adoptive mother and stood up hugging her.

"They are beautiful! Thank you." Tsunade smiled.

"They were my mother's and she gave them to me now they're yours." Sakura smiled and put them in as Temari grinned and handed Sakura a box with a ribbon on top.

"Something old, now something new." She said and Sakura looked at her with a questioning expression. She opened the box and blushed profusely when she saw the lacey garter. Hinata blushed as well but Ino, Temari, Tenten and Tsunade laughed and grinned. Sakura slid the garter on her leg and blushed again.

"Well now we need something blue and I have just the thing for you! Ino said running out of the room and returning with a bouquet of blue and white flowers. Sakura smiled and took them before standing up. They all smiled at her and hugged her before going to get ready themselves pulling out scrolls with their bridesmaid dresses in them. They were long sleeved and reached the ground but were simple and had a few ruffles on the front. Sakura and Tsunade waited for the girls to get dressed and Sakura checked the time on her alarm clock.

"Tsunade-sama what time is the wedding?" Tsunade looked at her and smiled.

"Twelve we have an hour. Here I'll get you some food." She smiled and stood up before going to the kitchen and returning with some instant ramen. Sakura smiled at her and took it before eating it carefully without getting a single drop on her clothes. The girls all finished getting ready and had on light blue eye shadow and blue bouquets with their hair done up their usual ways. She smiled as Tsunade stood up and looked at them. "Shizune should have the carriage out front by now." They nodded and all giggled while walking to the door talking to Sakura. They all got into the carriage and it drove off towards the Sakura blossom clearing. Sakura looked at the girls and furrowed her brow.

"Wait where are the boys?" The girls grinned.

"They should already be there. We kicked them out this morning and they all went to Kiba's house to get ready." Ino said and Sakura nodded. It was cold out but none of the girls minded because they had their chakra circulating to keep them warm. It wasn't snowing but apparently it had the night before because a new coat of snow lay on the ground. Sakura panicked a little but Ino smiled.

"Relax Sakura we have it taken care of." She nodded and the carriage pulled up to the path leading to the Cherry Blossom clearing. Sakura took deep breaths as Tsunade hugged her and left to go prepare the ceremony. Ino and the girls helped her out of the carriage and led her over to a small gazebo outside of the Cherry Blossom clearing that had walls around it to hide Sakura from everyone that was arriving. Sakura sank into the seat in the gazebo and took short breaths trying to calm herself. Hinata saw her nervousness and sat next to her. She smiled at Sakura and pointed to the necklace that Sakura wore.

"That's very pretty Sakura. How does the sand swirl like that?" She asked in a small voice. Sakura blinked and looked down at the necklace before smiling.

"Gaara put some of his chakra into it and it keeps the sand swirling. It swirls faster when he's around." Hinata nodded and Sakura hugged the timid girl making her rather surprised. She patted her pink haired friend's back and smiled as the pinkette pulled away. "Thank you Hinata I needed that." The girl nodded as Kakashi knocked on the door to the gazebo. Ino opened it and he looked at Sakura before rubbing his neck and smiling with his visible eye.

"You look great Sakura." He said and Sakura blushed. "Somehow I knew you'd be the blushing bride." He said and Sakura gave him a playful glare. Ino suddenly jumped up from her seat on the gazebo and looked at the other girls.

"Well we have to go get ready you'll be fine Sakura. Kakashi if you let her fall we'll all reap our revenge." The girls all nodded and giggled before hugging Sakura and leaving the gazebo. Sakura took a shuddering breath and Kakashi held out his arm for her. She looped her own arm around his and held onto her bouquet.

"Nervous?" He whispered as he led her out of the gazebo and behind the bridesmaids. She nodded and he gave her his usual eye crinkle. "Don't be you'll be fine." She nodded and he smiled as Ino walked through the curtain of hanging strips of white paper on the arch leading to the long aisle. Sakura looked around and saw that the white ribbon hung around all of the trees and had white snowflake decorations hanging down from them. She smiled and moved up in the line as Tenten, the last bridesmaid walked out. A few minutes before the girls had arrived a red headed Kazekage stood in front of the clearing talking to people who wanted to meet him. He was being very nice but couldn't help being a bit anxious. Kiba and the other groomsmen were laughing and talking to their families as each family came over to talk to him. He nodded to them and gave a small close mouth smile. They then took their seats and Gaara and the groomsmen walked up to the stage in the front of the Cherry Blossom clearing under one of the trees that had been draped in white ribbon and had snowflakes hanging off of it. There was a white arch behind them where Tsunade now stood after having walked up from behind them. Kiba and Akamaru stood at the end of the line of groomsmen. Kankuro was the best man and stood behind Gaara. Behind him stood Naruto then Shikamaru and finally Kiba and Akamaru. Gaara looked at Tsunade and she smiled.

"She's here but I think they're trying to get her not to faint right now." She said to him and he smiled a little. He wasn't nervous but he knew she was. He looked out into the crowd of people and saw the sensei's, minus Kakashi, sitting in the front row beside Shino, Choji, Neji, and Lee. Jiraya sat in the front row next to Lee and grinned at Gaara. He nodded to him and Gaara skimmed the rest of the crowd seeing the Rookie Nine's families and in the second row Kai, Kisho, Iori, Kaguri, Iori's wife, May-rin and her grandmother. He smiled at them and they smiled back. Suddenly music filled the clearing and Ino walked out in her light blue bridesmaid dress holding a white bouquet. He watched as she got up to the stage and winked at him. Temari followed behind her then Hinata. Finally Tenten walked out and up to the stage as the music changed. Gaara stood looking down the long aisle as everyone stood for Sakura. Behind the curtain at the end of the aisle Sakura heard the music change and gripped Kakashi's arm a little tighter. He gave her his usual eye crinkle as Sakura and him stepped out through the curtain and onto the white carpet laid over the platform that she stepped onto. The first thing she noticed was the lattice of ribbon hanging over the clearing. It had snowflakes hanging from it and on every Cherry Blossom tree there were blue and white flowers in flower holders. It was beautiful and as Sakura took her first few steps forward she looked up and caught the face of a certain red head in a white dress shirt and pants standing in front of Tsunade on the stage. Her breath caught as she saw his turquoise eyes staring at her with a spark of love in them. She blushed and walked up the aisle with Kakashi's arm guiding her with a firm grip. She saw all of her friends staring at her and smiling. On the stage the groomsmen were stunned at the pinkette with the veil in front of her face. She looked gorgeous in the dress and Gaara's thoughts were only filled with her. She was more beautiful then he thought possible. Her dress hugged her figure but was elegant and simple and fit her perfectly. Around her neck hung the necklace he gave her and her light blush from behind the veil made her look even more beautiful to him. She approached the stage and Kakashi took her hand before leading her up the three steps and placing her small pale hand into Gaara's larger one before he stepped off the stage and took his seat next to the other Sensei's. Gaara looked at Sakura and lifted her veil off of her face making her blush again before he took her hands and Tsunade told everyone to please be seated. Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of him and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Tsunade looked at the crowd and started.

"Friends we are gathered her today to witness the union between this man and this woman as well as two great nations." She looked at Sakura and Gaara and smiled. "Sabaku no Gaara, you may say your vows." Gaara nodded and looked at Sakura before speaking clearly.

"Haruno Sakura I promise to stand by you no matter what. In times of war and peace I promise to protect you and let you help me when I need it. I promise to be your confidant and listen to your ideas. I promise to let you lean on me when you need support. I promise to be someone you can trust and talk to. Though we have known each other for a long time I feel like we have known each other for eternity. We have both changed from when we first met before the Chunnin Exams. We have grown stronger each in our own ways and stronger still together. When I look in your eyes I see the eyes of someone who has been through life and understands it. I also see the eyes of someone who loves as deeply as she can and knows that I return that love. We were both drawn together by something more than love, a true bond between us that I have felt growing stronger since the day I saw you helping me when I was captured and brought back by you. I feel complete now and feel like this is how it always should have been. This is why I promise to be your husband." Sakura smiled and Tsunade turned to Sakura blinking back a tear.

"Haruno Sakura you may say your vows." Sakura nodded and looked at Gaara.

"Sabaku no Gaara I promise to never leave your side. When we are apart I will be with you in spirit and when we are together no force will tear us apart. I will help you when you need it and in return I will accept your help when I need it. I promise to listen to you and understand you. I will be someone that you can confide in as I will confide in you. You are a part of me that cannot be replaced and I feel as if you have been there always. I have changed and grown and I see that you have as well. We have both become stronger and will continue to become stronger with each other. We will push each other to our goals and help each other achieve them. I see a man in front of me that I can never part with and will never want to part with. The bond between us is strong and will no doubt get stronger. I promise to be there when you are hurt to heal you and I know you will be there for me as well. I know this is how it should always have been and will now always be. Forever and eternity. This is why I promise to be your wife." She smiled and Gaara did as well his eyes never leaving hers. Tsunade wiped away a tear as did the people in the audience who were crying. In the front row Kurenai was wiping away her tears and Shino blinked before taking off his glasses and wiped them before replacing them on his face. Tsunade found her voice and smiled before saying loudly.

"Do you Sabaku no Gaara take Haruno Sakura to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Gaara smiled.

"I do." He said slipping the ring he had in his hand onto Sakura's finger. It was her engagement ring now turned wedding ring and it made her smile. Tsunade smiled and turned to Sakura.

"And do you Haruno Sakura take Sabaku no Gaara to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Sakura nodded and smiled.

"I do." She said sliding the gold band in her hand onto his finger. At this point the women in the audience were wiping their eyes and the men were trying to hide their emotions. Ino wiped a tear off of her face and forced herself not to cry.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." Gaara smiled and put his hands on both sides of Sakura's face before leaning in and capturing her lips in a soft but passionate kiss. He pulled back and smiled at her as the crowd stood up applauding and cheering for them. Sakura smiled and laughed a little before taking his hand and turning to face their friends in the crowd. They stepped off the stage and walked down the aisle as Gaara looked down at his new wife and she blushed before looking up at him. They walked through the arch of ribbons and Gaara turned to her before smiling. The guests and the groomsmen and bridesmaids walked through the arch after them and smiled at them as they stood in front of the carriage.

"Are you ready Mrs. Sabaku no Sakura?" She smiled and he wrapped his arm around her back.

"Yes I am ready Mr. Sabaku no Gaara." He grinned and jumped into the carriage before helping her up into it. She smiled and sat next to him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Everyone cheered as Ino and the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen got into a carriage behind them. The guests soon got into their carriages as Sakura looked back at everyone as their carriage moved. Gaara looked down at Sakura and pulled her close to him.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to steal you away from everyone when I saw you walk down the aisle. You are so gorgeous." He growled lightly and kissed her neck making her giggle.

"It seems whenever I wear a dress you seem to get all emotional." He looked at her and she smiled as he kissed her lightly.

"That's because you have an amazing taste in dresses and you look gorgeous in them." She laughed and he smiled at her before snaking his arm around her waist and looking at the driver of their carriage. He leaned over and put his lips near her ear. "Why don't we surprise everyone and disappear? I know where we're going." Sakura looked at him and he grinned. "Oh dear I'm going to have to steal the bride." He said and she smiled.

"Oh dear that is a problem." He grinned and kissed her as his sand surrounded them and they disappeared from the carriage. The driver didn't notice making it so much better when Ino, in the carriage behind them, looked at their carriage and couldn't see the red head or the pinkette's hair anymore. She was a little panicked and turned to Temari.

"Uh I don't see Gaara or Sakura's hair anymore." Temari looked at their carriage and grinned.

"They probably just leaned back in the seat. Don't worry about it we're almost to the reception and then I'll get to hug my sister!" She squealed and Ino smiled. Kankuro grinned and looked at Ino.

"I can't wait to dance with my little sis. She'll be teased for the rest of her life now that she's my sis. I think I'll start tonight." He grinned and Ino rolled her eyes. Naruto smiled and rubbed his neck.

"It's sure going to be different without Sakura-chan here." Kiba nodded but smiled.

"She'll come back with Gaara when they have meetings and for the Chunnin and Jonin Exams every year." They all nodded and smiled as they saw the place they were going to have the reception at coming up.

"Gaara-kun?" Sakura called peering around a post on the large tent looking for her husband who had disappeared when she bent down to fix her train. She walked into the tent and felt two large arms encircle her waist making her smile.

"Our guests are almost here we should go greet them." He purred into her ear making her knees go weak.

"Sure Gaara-kun." He smiled and kissed her cheek before walking with his arm around her waist to the front of the tent and stood outside holding Sakura to his side. In the carriage Ino and the others saw two figures standing in front of the tent. One with red hair and one with pink.

"Are you kidding me? How the heck did they get there?" Ino said her eye twitching. Temari and the others laughed as their carriage pulled up to the tent on the hill. There stood a slightly smirking Gaara and a smiling Sakura. Ino was the first out of the carriage and rushed over to them before looking at Sakura. "How?" She asked and Sakura looked at Gaara who smirked.

"Sand transportation has its perks." He said before looking back at the blonde who looked between them and eventually smiled.

"Well than that's fine come on you two let's get inside!" She smiled and Gaara and Sakura walked into the large tent holding hands. Ino ushered them to a circular table near the front of the room where they sat down. There was a large wooden stage on the floor and Sakura assumed it was for dancing. She smiled and sat down in her chair next to Gaara who still held her hand. The guests started filing in and looked at Sakura and Gaara who were now out of their seats and walking around talking to everyone. May-rin and Iori's wife spotted them and ran over enveloping them both in a hug.

"Oh Sakura I can't believe you two were in my shop a few weeks ago pretending to be a married couple and now here you are!" She smiled and Sakura looked up at Gaara who kissed her head and looked at them.

"I owe you so much. Sakura and I have a gift for you and your village." Iori's wife shook her head but Gaara stopped her by holding his hand up.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait for it until after the wedding speech in Suna." Sakura looked up at him a bit confused.

"I thought we'd agreed on Konoha?" He smiled at her.

"I've thought about it and Suna is the public wedding it will attract much more attention. I told Tsunade and she thought it was a great idea." Sakura smiled and nodded. Iori's wife looked at them and clapped her hands together.

"Oh you two are so perfect for each other! We'll be sure to turn on our TV to watch the wedding in Suna as well." Sakura thanked them and they walked away to be replaced by Baki and the other Sensei's.

"Sakura, Gaara I'm so happy for you both!" Kurenai said hugging them and smiling at them both. Gai smiled and stuck out his thumb in a nice guy pose before congratulating them. Kakashi looked at Sakura and she broke down completely surprising everyone by enveloping her former Sensei in a hug catching him off guard. He put his arms carefully around her and looked at Kurenai for help. The female sensei was too busy aw'ing to notice and Kakashi sighed as he released his hold on the pinkette. Sakura let go of him and turned to hug Baki as well completely catching him off guard as well as all of the other Sensei's who stared at the girl as if she was insane. Baki froze in place as the pink haired girl let go of him and smiled a genuine smile at him before walking back to her husband who had been just as frozen as Baki when she hugged him. Kakashi looked at Sakura and she smiled at him.

"Kakashi-sensei thank you so much." He looked confused and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh for what exactly?" Sakura smiled.

"For giving me away. You're like a father to me and Naruto as well. You always have been." He gave her his standard eye crinkle and patted her arm before walking away with Kurenai and Gai leaving Baki blinking at Sakura.

"I'm happy for both of you and I hope you enjoy your life together. Gaara you've become a fine man and Sakura a very strong Kunoichi. Perhaps even stronger than your new mother!" He gave her a small smile and shook Gaara's hand as Tsunade and Shizune walked up next to him.

"Yeah she wishes Baki." Tsunade said with a smile and Sakura rolled her eyes at her.

"Tsunade-sama thank you." Sakura said looking into her hazel eyes. She nodded and stared into her student's emerald eyes before grabbing her into a hug that Sakura returned with her arms wrapped around her Shishou's taller figure.

"Oh Sakura I would have done it even if you weren't my new daughter." She smiled and Sakura nodded before letting go of Tsunade as she turned to Gaara. "Take care of my daughter Kazekage Gaara or you'll have a full face of fist and find yourself being digested by a slug. Not to mention a war on your hands from all of Konoha. We love our pink haired medic very much." She smiled sweetly at him and he nodded smiling back at her as she walked away to go talk to Kakashi. Shizune congratulated them then Jiraya who was soon drug away by his ear thanks to a very miffed Tsunade who thought the toad sage was getting much too close to her now married daughter. Then as if on cue Sakura was enveloped in a hug from a certain blonde haired ninja.

"Sakura-chan! I can't believe you got married! We're going to miss you so much Sakura-chan! Promise you'll visit soon! No, I'll come to Suna! I'll get Gran-I mean Tsunade to let me go!" He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Baka I'll miss you too." She teased him fondly as Shino and Neji gave their stiff congratulations before walking away. They always were antisocial. Ino and the girls squealed and hugged her with a few tears on their faces all except for Temari who hung back until the girls moved on. Then Kankuro and her hugged their new sister and smiled at the pair of them.

"You are going to be so spoiled by us Sakura." Temari said smiling and Sakura laughed.

"I don't doubt it!" She grinned as she saw the faces of Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and Akamaru hanging back a little. She walked over to them with Gaara and looked at them all.

"Congratulations you guys! It was a great ceremony! I'll be sure to watch the Suna one as well!" Kiba said and Sakura smiled before petting Akamaru and letting them move on as she hugged Choji and then Shikamaru who held onto her tightly.

"Hey Gaara you be nice to my little sis. Remember she can break you into pieces. Not to mention Tsunade and I would be there in a heartbeat if anything ever happened to her. I'm happy for you both and if you ever need help send word to Konoha and we'll come at once." He smiled and Gaara nodded giving him a firm handshake before Sakura and Gaara went to sit down as others paid their congratulations to the couple. Sakura was handed a glass of champagne and she giggled as someone talked to her and then walked away. She put the champagne on the table and smiled at Gaara before kissing him lightly. He grinned and pulled her closer to him before kissing her head.

"Would everyone please be seated and we'll begin the speeches." Tsunade's voice called out amongst the people. There was a lot of shuffling before everyone was in a seat and Tsunade began. "Now we are going to start with Sakura's former Sensei Kakashi Hatake." There was applause as he picked up the microphone and stood in front of everyone in his usual casual way.

"Well Sakura was my student back when we had Team 7. Her team was the first, and the only team I have ever taught and will ever teach. From a young age she was very much a leader. She kept the boys in her team in line and definitely taught them a thing or two. She was always a master at chakra control and was a fast learner. She was always one to keep a level head in any situation accept, perhaps, when it came to Naruto's foolishness." Sakura laughed and so did others as Naruto rubbed his neck and gave his usual cheesy grin. "Sakura was always pushing to be stronger and I realize now that I should have paid more attention to her as she was my only female student. But she was so determined that she could figure out things by herself with little guidance. She was the one who taught me to keep my thoughts clear and concise when making decisions. Something that I use in every situation now. She grew from the girl I saw once in her Academy days getting teased by others to someone people look up to. This is something only accomplished by hard work and an amazing amount of skill. Sakura has both of these things along with an amazing brain. She was always one of the top in her class and I am proud to say that she was my student. I saw her grow and I couldn't be more proud of the person she grew into. She has saved her team mates lives on many occasions along with many others including her husband's life on one occasion. She truly is an amazing Kunoichi and an equally amazing person. I believe that you are a perfect match for her Kazekage Gaara and I wish you both happiness." He raised his glass and everyone applauded as Sakura smiled fondly at her former sensei. Gaara stood up next and walked to the front of the room to give his speech.

"Well I must say Kakashi was quite right about everything he said about Sakura. She's an amazing kunoichi and someone I am very lucky to be spending the rest of my life with. When I met her I knew she was different from anyone else I had met. She was someone who didn't run away from me she stood and challenged me with her stance and her eyes. It was something that made me intrigued as most people ran away and hid from me. After the Chunnin Exams she even defended her teammates and stood in my way to protect them something no one else had ever done as well. I think that was when I realized that she was different. That she was incredibly brave and strong. After that I saw her when I came to Konoha but she never seemed to notice that I could tell a huge difference in her. I was captured by the Akatsuki and her friends and she came to save me. She fought alongside one of our village elders and helped save her life risking her own and almost dying in the process and defeating an Akatsuki member. She then proceeded to bring our village elder to me where she essentially brought me back to life. I owe Sakura so much and I love her unconditionally. She strengthened my bonds with her through this and made me realize just how much she had changed. I would certainly not be alive if it wasn't for her. She brought me here on Christmas Eve without knowing it. My siblings had help in mentioning Konoha where I immediately thought of her. That is how I made the decision to come and visit her on Christmas never knowing why or how much I would come to realize that I loved her. I have never met a kunoichi more level headed and with as much promise as her. She's the only girl I could ever share a bond with and I know that I will never not want to have that bond with her." He smiled and Sakura wiped away tears that were stinging her eyes. He came and sat down next to her taking her hand as people applauded him. Sakura walked up next smiling at Gaara and looking down before back up at him.

"Gaara you were someone who intrigued me from the very first time I saw you. I knew how much stronger you were than me and somehow seeing that pushed me to try harder at what I was doing and train harder. When I defended my team mates after the Chunnin Exams I felt a bond to you, someone I barely knew. I felt that you were different but somehow the same as me. You were someone I admired when I heard you became the Kazekage. I remember Tsunade-sama telling me and I thought 'He deserves to be the Kazekage he is an amazing man.' I didn't understand how amazing you were until I was put on that mission to retrieve you. I felt like that was the only thing I could think about was finding you and making sure that you were alright. I barely knew you and yet I had a bond with you I couldn't explain and I didn't realize until much later. When I saw you were alright I had the feeling of relief and pure happiness rush over me in that moment when I knew you'd be alright and I didn't have to worry. On Christmas Eve when I was standing on the Konoha Bridge and I heard your voice I thought 'Why is he here?' As soon as I started talking to you and spending more time with you I realized that I didn't know why you came here and that you didn't really know why either but I was so glad you did. I fell in love with you then. Completely and utterly in love with you. We had never really had a conversation that was in depth but I knew. Then we started talking and when you asked me to marry you I thought I was the luckiest person on the entire planet and I know now that I am one of the luckiest to have you." She smiled at him as people applauded again and she sat next to Gaara he kissed her head and she smiled. Temari went next.

"Sakura you and my brother are the perfect pair. Both strong smart and know what to do in any situation. You keep people in line and so does he and at the same time you both care for people and treat them so kindly. You know what it feels like to be different from others and you never treat people differently no matter what is wrong with them as long as they are good at heart. You both are highly skilled shinobi and can hold your own. You are a couple that can understand each other and at the same time understand everyone else. I have seen you both handle a disaster like the snowstorm that destroyed the outer village. You kept everyone in a calm state while dealing with everything flawlessly and efficiently. I can see that you both have the same goals of keeping people safe and for that I believe that you are making the world a better place to live in. I am proud to have a sister-in-law and a brother that can work so well together and love each other so much. I wish you both happiness." She smiled and went back to sit next to Shikamaru and Kankuro who went next saying much of the same things Temari said but adding a few lines of his own.

"Not to mention that you both can sense things about each other without saying a word. It's actually kind of creepy that you both don't notice that you do it." Everyone laughed and Kankuro smiled. "Well I think that you both are going to be very happy and I know that Suna is getting the best medic that there is to offer." He smiled and sat back down as Tsunade went up talking about how she met Sakura and trained her before crying a little as she said,

"I'm proud to call you my student and my adopted daughter." Sakura wiped her eyes and stood up hugging her Shishou before sitting down as Tsunade called a toast. "To Kazekage Gaara and Kaze-hime Sakura!" She smiled as everyone raised their glasses. Sakura smiled as Ino stepped up to the microphone.

"Ok now I know I've been waiting for this all afternoon. Sakura, Gaara please step to the dance floor." She smiled as Sakura stood up and walked over holding Gaara's hand blushing a little. He looked down at her blushing face and smiled as Ino looked at the DJ and he nodded turning on a song they were familiar with. Gaara put his hand on Sakura's waist and held her other hand in his own moving them both slowly. He smiled at her and she smiled back getting more comfortable with the dance. They were only looking at each other and it was as if everyone else disappeared. Gaara twirled her around and she did it effortlessly every move seemed so natural and so right. He smiled and she did as well as they moved across the dance floor so perfectly. Everyone was in awe watching them dance and they didn't notice it at all. They were like silk across the dance floor and Temari was shocked her brother could dance at all much less look like a professional. When the song ended Sakura looked at Gaara and he smiled as everyone applauded before people started joining them in a dance. Sakura wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck and he pulled her close as they swayed gently in a small space just enjoying the scent of the other and the closeness between them. Sakura smiled when she smelled his scent that was so uniquely his. He loved how she smelled like her cherry shampoo as well as her own sweet scent and he knew if she didn't have the cherry shampoo she would still smell like the blossoms she was named after. He loved her scent and she loved his. It would seem odd to anyone else but they didn't notice. Somehow their bond as mates made this natural and Shukaku knew it. He growled happily and Gaara rolled his eyes shutting him out. In Sakura's mind Inner hummed happily and Sakura shut her out as well.

"Sakura." Gaara said and she murmured back.

"Yes Gaara-kun?"

"I love you. I know it will be tough leaving Konoha but I'll help you alright?" He waited for her response and heard a light giggle.

"Oh Gaara I know you will. I am ready to leave I really am. I love you too Gaara more than anything." He smiled slightly as the second set of songs ended and he pulled her off the dance floor to where the food was. Sakura smiled when she saw the huge cake decorated in snowflakes and swirls of cherry blossoms and sand decorations made of icing. He smiled and Sakura thanked Hinata who was standing nearby. She nodded and smiled at them as Ino called everyone over suddenly.

"Hey cake time everyone!" Gaara looked at Sakura and she grinned. Sakura grinned at Gaara as Ino went looking for a cake cutter and as her back was turned pulled a kunai out of her sash. Gaara chuckled and Tsunade leaned towards Kakashi and smiled.

"I'll bet she has a few shurikens on her person as well." Kakashi smiled and nodded.

"We trained her well." Sakura held up the kunai as Ino turned around. Gaara put his hand on top of hers and they cut the first two slices of cake each picking one up. Gaara looked at Sakura and she grinned before opening her mouth as he opened his. They both move the cake towards each other to put it into the others mouth when sand swirled around Gaara and Sakura disappeared into a swirl of Cherry Blossom petals. Everyone was confused but laughed when Gaara appeared first getting a face full of cake as Sakura appeared behind him as he smashed his cake into her face. Everyone applauded and smiled as the two wiped cake off of each other's faces with towels. Everyone was then served cake and sat down as music was played and some couples danced. Sakura ate her cake next to Gaara and he smiled at her before feeding her a bite of cake and smiling gently at her.

"Well I have to say you've certainly changed Gaara." She smiled and he smirked.

"So have you Sakura." She smiled and he took her hand again as they watched people dance and eventually joined them. Finally Sakura and Gaara ran through a barrage of rice towards a spot where they disappeared in a swirl of sand. Gaara let go of Sakura's waist as they appeared on the road to her house scaring a few people walking in the streets. Gaara swept Sakura into his arms bridal style and opened the door to her house before carrying her across the threshold. "We should get changed Temari and Kankuro are getting changed at the party and so are Tsunade and Shikamaru." Sakura nodded and walked down to her room pulling out her regular ninja clothing and putting her wedding dress into its own scroll carefully. She picked up her bag of scrolls and walked out to the kitchen where Gaara was waiting. She took a deep breath and looked at him.

"I'm ready." He nodded and took her hand kissing her forehead before leading her out the door where they jumped onto the roofs towards the gates of Konoha. Temari and Kankuro were there with Tsunade and Shikamaru along with the guests from the wedding and their friends. Ino, Hinata and Tenten ran forward and hugged Sakura and Gaara with teary eyes and smiles. The boys hugged Sakura and shook hands with Gaara as Naruto rushed forward and caught Sakura in a tight embrace.

"I'll miss you Sakura-chan visit often alright? I'll visit you as well." She smiled and hugged him back.

"I'll miss you too Naruto-kun I'll visit you when I can you're always welcome in Suna." She smiled and he let go as everyone waved and the group set off. They had anbu trailing them in case of an emergency but they were far away so as not to draw attention to the group. Sakura smiled at Gaara and he squeezed her hand before lifting her up on his sand and looking at the group.

"We'll go ahead the village will expect us early and it's safer this way." They nodded and Gaara held onto Sakura's waist as they moved swiftly towards Suna. "We'll get there in a day or two if I only stop once or twice you can lie down and sleep if you'd like to later." She smiled and held onto him.

"Gaara-kun I can't wait to get to Suna." She murmured kissing his collarbone as she settled against his shoulder his arm keeping her in place. He smiled and looked down at her pink head.

"I can't wait to share my world with you." She smiled and he looked at her smirking. "Climb onto my back." She blinked at him and he looked at her seriously. "You'll be more comfortable and I can move faster we may get there in less time." She smiled and nodded as he slowed and Sakura climbed up onto his back with her arms around his neck. He sped up the sand and Sakura smiled closing her eyes and laying her chin on his shoulder letting his even breathing lull her into a light sleep. He smiled when he heard her breathing become deeper and heard Shukaku growl.

_"Kid it's supposed to be your wedding night."_ He growled back at him.

_"She's tired, we're traveling and we are getting married again in a few days so I'm sure we won't be permitted within the same rooms not to mention she might not be ready. She doesn't have a fucking hormonal demon in her." _Shukaku chuckled at him and growled happily.

_"She does have a split personality and since she is so shy about that I have to think that that split personality is the exact opposite."_ Gaara growled and shut him out before pushing on with his sand. He traveled in silence listening to Sakura breathing quietly. It was starting to get dark and Gaara hadn't noticed the hours ticking by. The forest was getting a bit thinner and he knew that soon they would be in the plains and then the desert soon after. He could already feel the air taking on the unnatural chill of the desert nights. He looked at Sakura and saw her shiver. Her eyelids fluttered and she opened her eyes yawning. He thought instantly that he would never get used to that sleepy expression she had. She buttoned her cloak tighter and looked at Gaara.

"How long have I been asleep?" She said blinking in the dim light.

"A few hours, we are almost to the desert. It will get windy and freezing cold. Sub-zero temperatures. Circulate your chakra and hang onto me. I'm going to take us higher and cover us in sand." Sakura nodded and Gaara lifted them up over the last few trees and across the plains as it got to be dark. Sakura sighed and looked ahead using chakra in her eyes to see well. Sakura looked up and gasped as she saw a huge mass of stars some of which she had never seen before. Gaara looked up and smiled. "I used to like to look at them. When I didn't sleep I watched stars from the roof. Suna is a great place to watch for them when you can make the sand clear enough to see them." Sakura smiled and hugged him lightly making him smile a little. They pushed on and Sakura started to become drowsy again.

"Gaara can we stop for the night? We'll get there tomorrow." Gaara looked back at her and nodded descending and creating a large sand dome around them as they reached the plains. Sakura looked at Gaara in the dark and climbed off his back before lying down on the soft grass. Gaara lay down next to her and opened his arms as his wife crawled into them and snuggled against his chest. "Sleep well Gaara-kun we'll be in Suna tomorrow." He smiled and stroked her hair placing a kiss against her temple.

"Sleep well Sakura-chan." He closed his eyes and listened to the wind whip around their structure. His dreams were full of Sakura. In a way Shukaku made him see. He woke up a bit uncomfortable and cursed the demon fully in his head. He looked down at Sakura and saw she was still asleep. He smiled and picked her up in his arms cradling her gently so as not to wake her. She stirred but didn't wake up. He dismissed the sand dome and was lifted into the air by his sand setting off with the sleeping Sakura cradled in his arms. She snuggled close to him as his sand created a barrier around them sheltering them from the desert winds that were still whipping around him. It was still dark out and Gaara knew they were a few hours away from Suna. The others were probably near the edge of the forest. Knowing Tsunade they would have traveled for most of the night and woken up extra early. He set off across the desert and heard the wind howling around them but didn't mind. Sakura started to stir and opened her eyes to blink up at him. "Good morning blossom." He said and she smiled as he let her stand up maintaining a hold on her waist. She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"Good morning Kazekage-sama." She said in a slight purr. He looked at her and saw her emerald eyes teasing him. She smiled and got onto his back holding on around his neck again. He held onto her the way he had before and she smiled her pink hair brushing past him as he smelt her beautiful scent of cherry blossoms, ginger and something distinctly Sakura. He smiled and sped up his sand towards Suna. He felt her cheek against his and her warmth on his back. They traveled for a few more hours in silence after he had warned her about getting sand in her mouth. She laughed at that but took it to heart. It was light out and the heat was starting to pick up as the wind died down a little. Gaara stopped to let Sakura take off her coat and she did stowing it into one of her scrolls. She then got back onto his back and they continued through the desert on his sand. Soon Sakura saw a large sand wall in the distance. She had seen it before and looked at it in wonder as Gaara descended to the ground. She walked forward a few steps and stared at it. The wind blew her hair back softly and Gaara heard her sigh. "It seems so different." She said and he walked next to her.

"What does? The gate?" He asked her looking down at her a bit concerned. His turquoise eyes held a bit of worry as he looked at his wife.

"Yes it seems different to look at it in the light that it's now my home. It's different." She turned to him and, to his immense relief, smiled. "Will you escort me home Kazekage-sama?" She asked playfully and he smiled at her softly.

"Yes my Lady Kaze-hime." She laughed as he took her hand and the pair started walking towards the gates of Suna. He knew he would have to let go of her hand when they got closer but for now he liked it.

END OF CHAPTER 47! WOOOHOOOO! REVIEWS OMG PLEASE THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!


	44. Chapter 48

Saki- Zetsu! You don't still want to eat me do you?

Zetsu- No Saki-chan. **We're not going to eat someone** as pretty as you.

Saki- Aww! Thank you Zetsu! Oh and thanks for getting Neji out of here. He's still alive right?

Zetsu- **Unfortunately yes. **We wanted to **eat him. She owns no **Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 48

Sakura seemed happy as they got close enough to see the gates clearly. Gaara let go of her hand so she could walk freely and they both saw four small dots moving towards them.

"That's the welcoming committee I suppose." Sakura nodded and laughed.

"That makes me a little bit nervous I'll have to act rather resigned won't I?" Gaara looked at her amused and shook his head.

"You just act like you. They will know the real you." Sakura smiled and Gaara pulled her towards him making her gasp and open her lips a little. He took this moment to press his lips to her and slide his tongue into her mouth making her eep in pleasure. He growled happily against her mouth and pulled back making her blink as she looked at him.

"W-wow." She said simply as she looked ahead and walked a little clumsily forward. She almost fell into the sand tripping over her own feet when Gaara chuckled and grabbed her hand steadying her as she looked at him and blushed lightly. They were closer to the gates and the four ninja were easily distinguishable now. They walked closer to Gaara and Sakura and Gaara stopped with Sakura standing next to him.

"Kazekage-sama! Lady Kaze-hime! Where is the rest of your party?" They first ninja, a man with brown hair and a scar across his lips said looking at them.

"The Hokage and my siblings are with a group of anbu and are accompanied by Shikamaru Nara." The ninja nodded and they flanked Sakura and Gaara as they walked towards the gates of Suna. Sakura looked up at them and saw ninjas lining the walls. When they saw Sakura and Gaara they started cheering loudly making Sakura blush and Gaara look at her.

"They are happy to see you Kazekage-sama. Also our new Kaze-hime." The smallest ninja with them said happily. Sakura smiled at him and looked up at the crowd of ninjas cheering for them as they walked through the large gates and into Suna. Gaara dismissed the ninja following them and held Sakura around the waist as his sand transported them to the front of the Kazekage building. They walked through the doors and the secretary at the desk sat up in her chair immediately.

"Kazekage-sama! Welcome back to Suna!" She smiled and saw Sakura standing behind him. "Oh Lady Kaze-hime! Welcome to Suna!" Sakura nodded and Gaara brought her through the building to his office. She walked inside and he shut the door.

"I'm sorry about all of that. Would you like to go to our house?" Sakura looked at him and nodded.

"That would be nice." Gaara walked over to her and held onto her waist transporting them outside of a large sand house. Sakura looked up at it in awe and Gaara took her hand leading her up the path into the large house. He opened the door and they walked inside. Sakura gasped at the large hallway they were in with the two staircases leading up to the second floor. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and Sakura noticed the two rooms on either side of the hallway. She walked into one and saw two sofas and a television along with a coffee table and a fireplace. It looked a lot like her living room in Konoha. She smiled and walked into the room connected to it that was a small room with a window and a desk with papers on it along with a bookcase.

"This was my old office but it's yours now. I'll move the papers to my office and then it will be all yours for work." Sakura looked at him and smiled. She walked over to the glass doors and opened them walking into the kitchen. There was a window above the sink and a large island in the center along with a stove, oven, microwave, toaster, fridge and sink with cherry cabinets and light yellow walls. There was two large sliding glass doors that led to a huge garden surrounded by a large fence. Sakura gasped and walked outside making Gaara smile as she looked in awe at the beautiful grass and trees that had yet to start growing their buds and the empty flowers beds throughout the garden. "Temari made it for you. There are vegetables and those are Cherry Blossom trees. It should look beautiful in the spring." Sakura turned to him with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Gaara everything is so wonderful! Thank you so much!" She ran to him and hugged him making him smile and hug her back. She let go and took his hand walking back into the main hallway to the other side of the house where there was a shoji room as well as a dining room and a large room with mats in it meant for meditation or yoga. Sakura then walked up the large staircase and followed Gaara to the first door on the right. It was a room with blue walls and a large bed with black satin sheets and a canopy overhead. It had a large mirror and a bathroom with a shower in it along with the toilet and sink. There was a large closet and a dresser.

"This will be your room until we are married here. My room is next door." Sakura looked at him and put her scrolls on the dresser before walking down the hall to his room. She saw a few other rooms and figured they were guest rooms. She walked into his room with him behind her and took in the light red walls and the king sized bed with black satin sheets and a mahogany base. It had a large dresser and a walk in closet along with an attached bath with a huge, two person tub and a shower along with a double sink. There were also two nightstands by the bed and Sakura saw a glass sliding door that led out onto a balcony. She looked at Gaara and smiled.

"I like this house Gaara. Where are Temari and Kankuro's rooms?" Gaara smiled at her and led her downstairs to where there was a door which he opened. It led to another house that was much smaller and was distinctly feminine. That house had a door to another one of the same size that was messy and had puppet parts on the kitchen counter. Sakura laughed and they walked back through Temari's house to their own. Sakura walked into the living room and sat down on the couch as Gaara sat next to her. "So this is my new home." She said and he looked down at her. She smiled up at him and kissed his lips softly. "I love it here." He smiled back at her and put his hand up to cup her cheek before pulling her closer to him and kissing her again softly. He pulled her into his lap not breaking their kiss and was about to kiss her neck when there was a knock on the door. Sakura looked at him and laughed a little making him smile. "We'd better go let them in." Gaara sighed and nodded standing up and walking over to the door with her behind him. He opened the door to see a messenger standing there.

"Kazekage-sama you are needed in the conference room with Lady Kaze-hime." Gaara nodded and the messenger walked away. He looked at Sakura and she shrugged. He smiled and pulled her to his side before transporting them both with his sand to the Kazekage building. She walked through the doors with him and followed him up the stairs to the conference room where he walked inside and sat at the head of the table of advisors and Leaders. One seat was empty where Baki would have been sitting as head of the Sensei's. Sakura was unsure where to sit until Gaara looked at her and she came and sat next to him on a cushion. They looked at the people in the room and they all stared at Sakura.

"Kazekage-sama we are here to discuss when the wedding will be able to take place the Hokage is still not here…" Gaara cut the man off.

"She will be here by tonight that wedding will proceed as planned for tomorrow." Sakura looked at him and then back to the advisors who were still looking at her curiously.

"Lady Kaze-hime should be briefed on the ceremony." One of the advisors stated and Sakura looked at him.

"Please call me Sakura. I would like to be briefed on the wedding ceremony I'm sure Konoha's ceremonies are very different." She said and he nodded.

"Of course La- Sakura-san." He said and Sakura smiled at him. Gaara looked at her amused at her ability to keep his advisors in line, something even he had trouble doing. She merely smiled at him and he turned to the advisors.

"If that is all Sakura and I will take our leave." The advisors nodded and Sakura and Gaara stood. Sakura was stopped by one of the advisors who bowed slightly to her.

"Pardon me but my name is Kain I am pleased to meet you Sakura-san. I can help with the briefing of the wedding ceremony." Sakura looked at Gaara and he nodded.

"You can come to my office and we can discuss them as I am only vaguely familiar with them as well." Gaara said and Kain nodded following them down to Gaara's office. Gaara went and sat behind the desk and Sakura sat in one of the chairs next to the desk as Kain sat in front of the desk and pulled out a scroll from which he produced a catalogue and a book.

"Ok well for Sakura-san we have the Kimonos that can be worn. There's the blue one with the sash and the simple flower pattern on the hem. Also the darker blue one with the same pattern. The other one is the red one with the light pink flowers on it and the pink sash around the middle with the sleeves split in the middle and held together by the strings as well as at the bottom of the kimono." Sakura looked over at Gaara and smiled.

"You help me pick. The dark blue, light blue, or the red." Gaara looked at the kimonos and nodded.

"The red one is the most unique and it suits you." He said and Sakura smiled.

"I hoped you'd pick that one. I'll wear it." Kain nodded and wrote it down on a sheet of paper.

"Here's the book on the ceremony. Basically you say the rights and you exchange the rings again with the sand bond then tie your hands together and flare chakra and that's about it." They nodded and Sakura looked a bit confused.

"Sand bond?" She said looking at Gaara he smiled.

"You'll see don't worry about it." Kain smiled and nodded bowing as he stood and walked out of the room with the catalogue. Gaara looked at Sakura who picked up the book and flipped through it. "Come on Sakura we might as well go home and wait for the others they will no doubt be coming here soon." Sakura nodded and Gaara transported her down into the street where they walked to their house getting a few stares from people in the streets who hurried off no doubt to tell people they had seen the new Kaze-hime with the Kazekage. Sakura walked through the gates up to the mansion and inside where she went into the living room and sat down with the book. Gaara watched her sitting on the sofa with her feet tucked under her reading the book. He smiled and sat next to her letting her lean against him as she read. They stopped and ate lunch quietly an hour later. They then returned to the sofa where Sakura picked up the book again. He read along with her and they both sat there quietly until the door opened and Temari, Kankuro, Shikamaru, and Tsunade walked through it walking into the living room where Gaara sat next to Sakura who had put the book down.

"You guys sure got here fast." Sakura said to them and Temari nodded.

"Tsunade used one of Jiraya's toads to get here faster after he too conveniently met up with us in the forest. She persuaded him to let us use one of the toads." Sakura chuckled and Tsunade walked over and sat next to Sakura on the sofa.

"So what's been going on here?" Sakura smiled.

"Well the wedding is tomorrow and they wanted to see you Shishou." Tsunade sighed and stood.

"Well I might as well go tell them I'm here." She smiled at Sakura and disappeared into a puff of smoke. Temari walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water before handing one to Kankuro. He drank it and got another as Sakura walked into the kitchen herself and pulled some ramen out of the cupboard cooking it for everyone. She handed Kankuro his bowl, Shikamaru his and Temari hers before giving Gaara his and sitting next to him on the sofa lazily eating her own. He watched her eat and saw her grace of her hands holding the chopsticks like a delicate blossom. He knew that those hands could heal and help but could also kill. He had seen both. He didn't only love her, he admired her. She felt the same way about him. The way he changed from someone who hated others and killed for his own pleasure to someone who protected others. Even at the price of his own life. She had seen him dead and then be brought back to life and she knew he would do anything to protect her and his village. She loved him with her whole heart.

"Well I'm going to go and get some rest in a bed. We had about three hours of sleep last night and I need some more. Shikamaru there's a guest room upstairs." Temari said smiling before walking out of the room. Kankuro yawned and followed her soon after. Shikamaru smiled at Gaara and Sakura and Sakura stood up to show him the guest rooms. She returned a few minutes later to where Gaara still sat on the sofa. He looked at her and smiled as she yawned as well.

"Gomen, I'm rather tired as well I didn't sleep well last night." She said apologizing. He shook his head and picked her up in his arms making her laugh.

"You should have told me and I would have let you sleep." She shrugged and snuggled close to his chest listening to his heart beat as he carried her upstairs. He paused in the hall and she looked up at him questioningly. "I think that you can sleep in my room. It is our house and I don't think anyone has the right to say where you can sleep in it." She smiled and he kissed her forehead bringing her into his room and pulling back the covers on his bed laying her down on them and slipping in the other side of the bed wrapping his strong arms around her small frame. She snuggled into his warm embrace and let him kiss her nose before she fell into a deep sleep. It was around seven and already every shinobi and kunoichi in the mansion was sound asleep. Tsunade returned and was confused when she saw nobody in the living room. She walked upstairs and heard even breathing coming from down the hall. She smiled and walked into Sakura's room climbing into the bed and sighing. She wouldn't mind. She was somewhere much more comfortable. Tsunade smiled and fell into a deep sleep of her own confident that Sakura was in good hands in her new home.

"Hmmm…" A small sigh came from the pinkette stirring in Gaara's arms. He smiled and opened his eyes to look down at the small figure that yawned and stretched blinking up at him before giving him a lazy smile. "Morning Gaara-kun." She said sleepily and he smirked.

"Morning Sakura-chan." He watched as she stood and looked at him stretching again.

"I'll go get my change of clothes I'm sure I'm to be prepared for the ceremony today." Gaara smiled and walked over to her.

"I'll meet you at the ceremony I'm to be prepared as well." She smiled and kissed him before walking out into the hall and down to her room where she saw her blonde haired Shishou sleeping soundly in her bed. "Come on Shishou up. We have a wedding today." She moaned and sat up in bed blinking lazily at her adopted daughter.

"Sak'ra you should get ready." She said sleepily and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I am getting ready but you have to as well." Tsunade mumbled something and got up walking into the bathroom and shutting the door while Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed her clothes walking down the hall to a guest room and starting her own shower. She washed her hair and dried it before putting on the makeup she was required to wear and deciding to put on the kimono herself. Sakura had on a light red lipstick and was grateful that she didn't have to wear the white powder makeup since she was already pale. She wore the eye makeup thankful it was only eye shadow and mascara. Now one thing most people don't know about Sakura is that she hates kimonos. One thing most people don't know about kimonos is that they are hard to get on by yourself. Sakura put on her underwear and the lacey bra she had to wear before trying to get on the shift she had to wear under the kimono. She had gotten it over her head but was now trying to get one of the strings that were on the kimono shift out of her hair. Sakura was now hopping across the room trying to get the string wrapped around her ankle unwrapped and ended up tripping, falling out into the hallway, in her underwear, with a kimono shift stuck around her body and head, right on top of Gaara. "GAHHH!" Sakura screamed falling out into the hall onto a very surprised Gaara who caught her and helped her stand up as she turned to thank her savior to find herself looking at her amused husband.

"Do you need some help Sakura?" He said smirking. Sakura's face turned bright red and she looked at him trying to collect her thoughts.

"Er…um yes?" She said sheepishly making him chuckle. He pulled the twisted shift down and untangled the string from her hair tying it in the back with the other string. Sakura thanked him and blushed again before scurrying back into the guest room to change. Gaara chuckled as Shukaku growled in his mind.

_"You baka! She was in her underwear and wrapped in a shift practically fucking gift wrapped for you and you disregard it!" _He hissed angrily and Gaara rolled his eyes pushing the annoying demon out of his mind. He walked downstairs in his Kazekage robes and put his hat on his head before grabbing a banana and eating it not wanting to eat much else. Upstairs a bright red Sakura had successfully got her second layer of kimono on. This layer was the thing under the outer layer and was a simple pink kimono. The outer layer had the decorations and was red and was like a robe secured by a sash that she wrapped around her waist she walked out into the hall trying to tie it and felt two hands take it from her and tie it into a neat bow. She turned around and saw Shikamaru smiling at her.

"Hey Sakura come on you're getting married again today let's not be late." Sakura blinked and smiled as Tsunade walked out of her room in her Hokage robes and smiled at Sakura.

"You look good in a kimono Sakura." Sakura turned to her and snorted.

"Never again I hate these things!" Tsunade laughed and Sakura huffed before walking down the stairs accompanied by Shikamaru and Tsunade. Kankuro was standing in a tux at the bottom and Temari wore a floor length dress that was a pale purple and was a lot like her usual outfit. She smiled at Sakura as she growled and adjusted her kimono.

"You look lovely Sakura." She said and Kankuro grinned.

"They'll love ya sis!" He said pulling her close as she rolled her eyes.

"It's just annoying that's all. Where's Gaara?" She said looking around the hallway.

"Hey left a minute ago because they need him earlier than you." Sakura nodded as Tsunade walked into the kitchen and returned with a food pill and a slice of toast.

"Here eat these and then we'll go we have plenty of time but being early never hurt." Sakura crunched the pill and put the toast in her mouth before taking a fan from Temari that had Cherry Blossoms on it.

"You didn't do your hair!" Temari shrieked and Sakura blinked as Temari pulled her back up the stairs. "You guys get going we'll be there soon!" She called and they heard Shikamaru and Kankuro chuckle. Temari pushed Sakura into a chair and grabbed a brush pulling it through her pink hair. She then twisted it up in a bun with some of her hair hanging around her face. She then placed the hair ornaments in it strategically. They were long black sticks with red, black and pink beads hanging down on the ends. She also put a hair comb in her pink hair that had three cherry blossoms on it. Sakura thanked her and they walked back down stairs where Temari opened the door and told Sakura to transport to the Kazekage building. Sakura nodded and disappeared with Temari in a flurry of pink petals. They appeared at the Kazekage building where people rushed them inside leading Sakura to a room separate from where Temari went to meet with Kankuro and Shikamaru. Sakura was confused as the door to her room was shut and she saw there was only a mat in the middle of the floor. A maid walked in and told her to sit down while she looked her over. She approved her appearance and told Sakura to follow her into another building where Sakura heard a lot of voices mingling.

"Um pardon me but where are we?" Sakura asked the maid and she smiled.

"We are in front of the main square where you'll be married again Lady Kaze-hime. You will need to walk out with the fan in front of your lips and walk slowly and carefully looking down at first then look up." Sakura nodded and the maid smiled. "You'll be fine Lady Kaze-hime." Sakura smiled and the maid bowed before walking away leaving Sakura standing alone in the large room where there was a large screen in front of her. She heard the talking die down and Tsunade's loud voice.

"Friends and people of Suna and other villages. We are here today to bond together two great nations in a stronger alliance and to bring two people together that are an important part of our villages. I present to you Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku!" She heard great applause and assumed Gaara had walked out to his place. She took a deep breath and opened her fan preparing to walk. The applause went on longer than she expected but it died down. "We hope this wedding will bring together these two nations in a bond stronger than a written bond. A bond of love and friendship that we already share with friends from other villages as well as family and lovers. This bond already exists between the people of these villages and now their leaders as well. I present to you Sakura Senju Haruno from Konoha!" Sakura saw the screen rise and looked down walking out to rapturous applause as she looked up and saw a long set of stairs before her which she started to descend gracefully holding the fan in front of her and hoping she would not fall. She saw Gaara on the stage with Tsunade and walked towards them when she got to the bottom of the stairs mounting another set of stairs before stopping across from Gaara. He smiled a little and she lowered her eyes again hiding one of her own behind the fan which she then lowered to her side. Temari took it from her quickly and Tsunade smiled as the applause died down at her hands raised.

"Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku please repeat after me." Tsunade said. "I, Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku, promise to protect my wife's wishes and my village's. I promise to take her advice when I need it and keep her safety and health in mind." Gaara took a breath and repeated her.

"I, Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku, promise to protect my wife's wishes and my village's. I promise to take her advice when I need it and keep her safety and health in mind." His voice reverberated across the silent crowd and Sakura smiled a little. Tsunade then turned to her.

"Sakura Senju Haruno please repeat after me. I, Sakura Senju Haruno, promise to protect my husband's wishes and this village's. I promise to take his advice when I need it and keep his health and safety in mind." Sakura smiled and spoke clearly and loudly like Gaara had.

"I, Sakura Senju Haruno, promise to protect my husband's wishes and this village's. I promise to take his advice when I need it and keep his health and safety in mind." Gaara smiled slightly as Tsunade joined their hands together and tied them together with a red ribbon. Sakura smiled as Tsunade put her hands on top of their joined ones.

"As the Hokage I bond these people together in the name of Konoha and give them my blessing." She stepped back as Gaara smiled. Sand wrapped up around the two swirling around them and then wrapping around their joined arms around the red ribbon before hardening into a sort of bond. Sakura gasped a little as some sand swirled around the red mark on her neck that was visible and the scar on Gaara's forehead. Gaara looked at her emerald eyes and spoke clearly.

"As the Kazekage I solidify this bond with my sand in the name of Suna and accept the Hokage's blessing." Sakura smiled and knew what to say next. This part was universal for all political weddings.

"As the Hokage's daughter I accept this bond and ask for the other Kages blessings and accept the Hokage's blessings as well as Suna's." The other Kages that had been standing off to the side with Temari, Kankuro and Shikamaru walked forward starting with the Mizukage. She smiled and put her hands over top of theirs.

"As the Mizukage I give these people my blessing." She smiled and walked back to her spot as the Raikage took her place.

"As the Raikage I give these people my blessing." He said in his deep baritone. He then walked away replace by the last kage. The Tsuchikage put his hands over theirs and spoke.

"As the Tsuchikage I give these people my blessing." He walked away and Tsunade took his place smiling. The sand disappeared swirling around them once before leaving. Tsunade took off the ribbon and handed them their rings. Sakura smiled and looked at Gaara.

"Please repeat after me. I, Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku, promise to uphold this bond and become Sakura Senju Haruno's husband." He smiled and repeated her placing the rin on Sakura's finger again.

"Please repeat after me. I, Sakura Senju Haruno promise to uphold this bond and become Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku's wife." Sakura smiled and repeated her as she put the ring on his finger. Tsunade looked at the crowd and smiled holding her arms up.

"I give you Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku and Kaze-hime Sakura no Sabaku!" The crowd broke into huge applause and cheered loudly as Gaara leaned over and kissed Sakura lightly. She smiled and took his hand as they walked off the stage and up the set of stairs to a room where they turned around and waved to the crowd as the screen was lowered. They heard the crowd still cheering as the screen was completely closed and Gaara turned to Sakura. She looked up at him and he wrapped his arms around her kissing her slowly yet hungrily. She returned his kiss with just as much passion and hunger. He growled and picked her up by her waist making her giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you so much Sakura and I fully intend to show you that." Sakura's eyes grew a little wide but inside her head Inner Sakura was cheering as was Shukaku in Gaara's head. He chuckled at her reaction and kissed her again softly before setting her down and taking her hand again. She smiled and looked up at him.

"I suppose we need to talk to the Kages." He nodded and she smiled. "Well lead me to them Kazekage." Him smirked at her and bowed a little.

"Of course Lady Kaze-hime." She laughed and he smiled walking with her out of the room and down the hall into the Kazekage building where they saw the other Kages standing.

"Ah if it isn't the happy couple!" The Mizukage squealed walking up to Sakura and hugging her before hugging Gaara as well. He stood still as she let go of him and smiled at them both as the Tsuchikage and the Raikage merely gave them smiles.

"Congratulations to you both let your villages have an alliance strong enough to last for centuries." The Tsuchikage said before smiling and bidding his farewells along with the other two Kages. Tsunade smiled and hugged them both as did Kankuro and Temari. Gaara looked at them and they grinned knowing what he meant by the look her gave them.

"Well we are going to have to escort the Hokage and Shikamaru back to Konoha. Do we have permission to leave today Lady Tsunade needs to get back." Tsunade looked at them about to say something when Gaara looked at her and she grinned.

"Ah yes I do need to get back soon I'll send a message when I get there! Shikamaru let's get going I need to get back before the Elders take over completely." She smiled and he looked confused. She shook her head and drug him away as Temari and Kankuro walked with Gaara and Sakura outside where people cheered for them and smiled at them making Sakura blush. They made it to the gates and looked at Temari, Kankuro, Tsunade and Shikamaru. Sakura was still confused as to why they had to leave so early.

"You guys can stay here you know." Sakura said and Temari shook her head. Tsunade did as well making Sakura very confused.

"Sakura we've got to get back the Elders will completely take over the village you know how they tend to want to do that. Anyways that blonde baka Naruto is running free doing who knows what and I'm not there to stop him." Sakura laughed at that and looked at Tsunade her eyes soft. She walked up to her and hugged her tightly surprising the Hokage.

"I'll miss you Shishou." Tsunade's own eyes softened and she hugged her adopted daughter back.

"I'll miss you too Sakura. Make me proud here." Sakura nodded and pulled back as the Hokage turned away and started walking as Kankuro and Temari waved goodbye and winked. Shikamaru looked at Sakura with his hands in his pockets in his usual lazy pose.

"So I guess this is goodbye for a while then. Well I hope Suna treats you well. I'll see you around Sakura." He said and Sakura smiled before pulling him into a hug which he returned.

"I'll miss you too Shikamaru I'll be in Konoha soon and perhaps you'll be back in Suna as well." She saw him blush as she pulled back and grinned. He shrugged and gave them both a wave before turning and walking away with his hands in his pockets to catch up to the rest of the group. Sakura watched them leave before she felt Gaara's arms around her waist. She saw the sand swirl around them and smiled. They appeared in their house and Sakura smiled.

"Well we are officially married. I guess you're probably hungry do you want me to make some…" Gaara cut her off with a passionate kiss. He nipped her mouth asking for entrance and she opened hers letting his tongue invade her mouth and poke around exploring every corner of her mouth as hers did the same. He picked her up by the waist and carried her up the stairs breaking the kiss only for air. Hurriedly they walked down the hall to his room as he laid her on the bed continuing to kiss her passionately. He pulled back and looked at her hair still in its bun and her beautiful expression of a hazy look and a desire and passion. He smiled and pulled the pins holding her hair out throwing them onto the table near them and kissing her again lightly traveling over to her ear where he kissed her gently before whispering in her ear.

"Sakura I promise I am the happiest man alive right now." She smiled and he did as well kissing her jawline traveling down to her neck where he kissed her mark and made her sigh happily, a sound Gaara loved. He leaned forward and gently nibbled the bright red mark making her gasp and then seem to hold her breath. He was confused until he heard a faint voice in his head.

_"She likes it. Show her what you've got kid." _Gaara grinned and plunged forward kissing her lips as he untied the pink sash from behind her back pulling it and throwing it across the room. He then pulled off the first layer of her kimono as he kissed her neck making her suck in her breath again. She was now in the light pink under part of the kimono and the shift she was wearing under it. Gaara kissed her again as she took off his Hokage robe leaving him in a black shirt and his regular pants. She smiled as he smiled back. He kissed her again as she pulled his shirt over his head tracing the muscles on his stomach and chest marveling at them. He smiled and pulled lightly at her pink kimono as she smiled and kissed him telling him without words she was ok with it. He pulled it over her head and tossed it aside leaving her in the white shift and her underwear and him in his pants and underwear.

"Sakura are you sure?" He said looking at her and seeing the same hazy look in her eyes along with a burning passion that she held in her fiery green eyes.

"You don't even have to ask." She said kissing him passionately. He returned with force and pulled the shift over her head before looking down at her and smiling as he saw her lacey white panties and bra. She blushed furiously making him smile and kiss her lightly.

"I like them. So innocent and so you Sakura." She smiled as he nibbled on her earlobe making her moan quietly. This sound sent his senses into overdrive as he kissed her harder and she pulled off his pants leaving him in boxers.

Her hands traveled over the smooth planes of his back and his traveled over hers making her smile as he kissed her. She felt him move to her jawline and then up to her ear nibbling it again making her gasp as he unhooked her bra and threw it off the bed. She blushed again as he looked down her body seeing her milky white skin and light pink nipples adorning her chest. He was very confused when her arms came up to cover her. He looked at her and growled lightly pulling them to her sides.

"Don't do that. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He kissed her neck making her sigh before moving down her body to her chest as he gave her a devilish look before placing a kiss on her breast reaching up to cup the other making her gasp. He smiled as his ears drank up the wondrous sound. He smiled and flicked out his tongue at her breast making her moan lightly. At this point he was completely overtaken by lust and something he couldn't quite place. He reached down and pulled her panties off throwing them off the bed as he glanced her over from her flushed face and perfect breasts to the gentle pink curls on her nether regions. He grinned and kissed her again as she moaned feeling him press against her. He smiled again and nipped her ear making her moan again. She pulled at the hem of his boxers and fully stripped them from him before tossing them to join their other clothes. She blushed when she saw him and he caught her blush kissing her lightly in return. He chuckled and the vibrations traveled up her body making her shiver.

"G-Gaara." She said shaking. He loved the sound, it was so needy and wanton. He swore that to him it was the sweetest sound on the Earth. He kissed her again sucking on her nipple gently making her moan. He teased the other before switching and giving the other equal attention. She was blushing lightly and felt a heat inside of her stomach.

He looked up at her and grinned before moving down to kiss her thighs moving up to her nether lips smelling her arousal. He growled possessively and licked her gently making her squirm. He smiled loving the small taste and did it again earning a small squeak from Sakura. He moved forward suddenly and made her gasp as he slipped his tongue in her making her moan as he moved it tasting her and loving it. He felt her moving and squirming and pulled back looking up at her panting form. She was so beautiful her pink hair splayed around her face and framing it like the angel she was. A sexy, delicious, angel that was one hundred percent his. He smiled at this and moved towards her before looking at her cautiously.

"It's ok Gaara you can go ahead. I'm ready just, be gentle." She said softly and he nodded moving forward. She bit her lip as he pushed all the way in. He sighed as he looked at her and saw tears leaking from her eyes. His gaze softened and he moved up to kiss them away gently.

"Tell me when Blossom." She nodded lightly and waited as the pain was replaced by a surging pleasure. He felt her shift and knew he could move. He pulled out slowly and pushed back in making her moan a little. He did it again and earned a throaty moan from his lover.

"F-faster." She said gripping his shoulder. He obliged making her moan again as he did as well. He continued to move faster until he reached a pace they both liked slamming into her as she cried out happily. She felt a coil of heat in her stomach and knew she was close. He was as well as he looked at her through hazy eyes. He kissed her quickly as the coil in her stomach grew tighter and she cried out as her body shook. He felt her contract and felt himself lose control as well. She screamed his name and he hers as they both came down from their high. He rolled to the side so as not to crush her and she snuggled into them both of them breathing hard. She cuddled into his side as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately.

"I love you Sakura." He said and she smiled.

"I love you too Gaara." She closed her emerald eyes as they both fell asleep completely exhausted.

END OF CHAPTER 48! NO FLAMING PLEASE! REVIEWS!


	45. Chapter 49

Hidan- Oh fuck this is just fucking great!

Kakuzu- *Looks at Saki* What did you do to her Hidan?

Hidan- I swear she was passed out when I came in the room!

Kakuzu- She finished the lemon chapter.

Hidan-That's why she's like this. She can read them but not write them apparently. Well she doesn't own any Naruto or Naruto products!

Chapter 49

Sakura opened her eyes and blinked as sunlight streamed onto her face. She looked and saw a certain red head staring at her with gorgeous turquoise eyes rimmed in black. She smiled and he smiled back as he pulled her against his mouth. She kissed him happily and felt his arms stroke her back making her shiver happily.

"Good morning Sakura-chan." She smiled and closed her eyes sleepily.

"Good morning Gaara-kun." He smiled and she stretched under the blankets feeling a little bit sore. She looked at him sideways with one eye closed and he propped himself up on his pillow looking at her. Her pink hair was strewn about her face and had some tangles in it. Her green eyes still had the slightly sleepy look to them showing that she had just gotten up. What made him chuckle was the fact that she blushed when she realized she was completely naked even though the covers were up around her chest. She looked at him and relaxed starting to giggle herself before completely succumbing to laughter and leaning into his chest as he fell back onto the pillows with her laughing form lying on his chest. She looked up at him and smiled a happy genuine smile that made him smile back as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I have to go to work soon and so do you. You need to get a feel for being the head medical directory of Suna Hospital." He teased her and she rolled her eyes before kissing him lightly.

"Well then I'd better get my clothes from the guest room and get showered." Gaara looked at her and nodded to the bags of clothing on the floor of the walk in closet.

"I moved them in here yesterday." She looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you. I think I'm going to go take a bath." She smiled and stretched letting the covers fall off of her as she swung her feet over the side of the bed. Gaara watched her stand up and walk to the bathroom and then shut the door slightly. He heard the water turn on in the tub and stood up as well walking over to the bathroom. Sakura let the tub fill up before pouring in the bubble bath and leaning back into the large bathtub. She heard the door open and kept her eyes closed as Gaara slipped into the tub and slid over next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him smiling.

"It seemed like a shame to waste water in the desert." Sakura nodded and smiled grabbing a bottle of cherry shampoo.

"Would you wash my hair Gaara-kun?" She asked sweetly looking at him with big emerald eyes.

"Well with you looking at me like that how can I refuse?" He chuckled as she slid over to sit in front of him. He scooped up water in his hands and wet her hair before putting the cherry shampoo on it and massaging it gently into her pink hair. She hummed happily and he let her dip her head to wash her hair. She turned and smiled at him grabbing a bottle of his shampoo and making him lean back so she could wash his hair. He smiled as her slender fingers lightly pulled at his hair massaging the shampoo into it. She let him dunk his head and he shook water onto her making her laugh and splash him lightly back. He smiled and pulled her close kissing her and making her smile. He laid back and closed his eyes as he heard her getting out of the tub. She grabbed her pink fluffy towel and walked out of the bathroom and into the closet where she shut the door and pulled out her usual kunoichi uniform. She walked back into the bedroom and saw Gaara standing there with a towel around his waist and his hair still slightly damp. Her heart melted and she stood there frozen for a moment. He looked at her with a quizzical expression and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry completely zoned out there promise me you won't walk around like that or I might forget to breathe." He chuckled and she smiled before picking up the clothing that lay scattered around the room from the night before. She tossed them into the hamper and walked out of their bedroom and down the large staircase into the kitchen where she put a pan on the stove and retrieved eggs from the refrigerator cracking them and putting them into the pan. She then started to fry some bacon in another skillet and got out two glasses for drinks. Gaara walked into the kitchen in his usual clothing before pouring a glass of milk for both of them. She turned around and slid the eggs onto two plates before adding the bacon. She sat on one of the stools at the counter next to Gaara and picked up her fork before eating her eggs and bacon.

"Do you think I can run the entire hospital?" Sakura said quietly surprising Gaara. He looked at her with softness in his eyes and put his hand on top of hers.

"I know you will you saved my brother and countless others. I have full faith in you. Not to mention you are my wife." He smiled and she rolled her eyes before kissing him and standing up to put the dishes in the sink. She took his and washed them before putting them onto the drying rack.

"You know I think I'll put a henge on my hair and eyes so I won't be recognized that way I can survey things for what they are and not have people acting better because it's me. I need to assess the hospital for what it really is." Gaara nodded and smiled. She changed her hair to a brown and made it slightly longer and made her eyes a plain brown as well. He took her hand in his and spun her around to face him making her giggle as he transported them to the street leading up to the Suna Hospital. She looked back at him and he smiled as she waved and he disappeared into a swirl of sand. She looked at the doors and took a deep breath before walking inside. She looked around the waiting room and saw a little boy and his mother sitting there as the little boy held his arm and cried and the mother tried to console him. She saw another man with a gash in his cheek where he held a bloody rag to it and a few others with mild injuries and a boy that was alone in a chair and seemed like he was about to pass out. Sakura walked over to the boy in the chair that was obviously a Genin. She knelt down to him and he looked at her with a fading look in his eyes.

"Hey sweetie what's the matter? What's your name?" She asked as he sat up a little. He looked at Sakura and smiled a little.

"Ken Moto. I got hurt in training. I didn't want Sensei to worry so I came here by myself." Sakura shook her head and put her hand full of chakra on the boy. He was burning with fever and had a broken rib along with a few cuts on his arms and back that needed to be treated.

"What were you doing when you got hurt?" She asked her temper starting to flare. What kind of hospital didn't check their patients waiting or have the common sense to help a Genin if they came in hurt from training. At Konoha it was first priority to get children checked out if they were Genins and came in injured.

"I was climbing a wall with chakra. I got to the top and I turned around to tell Sensei I did it and I fell." Sakura nodded and turned around furious at the hospital and its staff. She walked over to the nearest doctor talking to the secretary and making her blush obviously flirting with her.

"Excuse me that boy over there needs immediate care. He had a broken rib, fever, multiple cuts and needs to be monitored." The doctor looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you his mother? I assure you he will be taken care of." The doctor turned to talk to the secretary and Sakura's temper flared. She dropped her henge and glared at him as the secretary suddenly dropped her clipboard and sat open mouthed at the desk. The doctor turned to see a furious Sakura glaring at him with a fire in her eyes. He cowered and fumbled for words as Sakura yelled.

"I SAID THAT BOY NEEDS CARE NOW!" The doctor nodded and called a frightened nurse over who put the boy onto a stretcher and wheeled him away as the doctor ran after her to help and get away from the rampaging Sakura. She stood in the middle of the floor all eyes now on her as her emerald eyes burned angrily in her head. "I need nurses checking every patient now and DO NOT skip anything or cut corners!" Three nurses rushed over to the waiting patients and started examining them and Sakura watched as the patients dwindled until none were left. She nodded and turned around walking up to the secretary still on a rampage. "I want to call all of the staff not in surgery or attending to a patient to the staff meeting room immediately I assume you have one?" Sakura said her voice dripping venom. The secretary nodded and picked up a microphone making the announcement. Sakura nodded to her and walked away down the hallway she pointed to. Sakura replaced her henge and passed by several doctors that grumbled and walked down the hall holding coffee and walking leisurely. Sakura stopped by a staff changing room and grabbed a white nurse's coat hanging on a peg with her name on it. She took off the name tag and put it in one of the pockets before walking away her small heels clicking with every step. She saw a sign for the staff meeting room and walked into it determined and angry. She walked to the back of the room and stood next to two doctors talking quietly to each other. They looked at her and started smirking talking in whispers to each other before one walked towards her.

"Hey are you new here? It isn't often I see cute nurses like you around here." Sakura looked up at him and smiled fakely before putting a dainty hand up to her lips and giggling.

"Oh well I am new here and I'm not used to it yet." The doctor grinned and moved his long hair away from his face.

"Well don't worry it's pretty laid back here we can get away with a lot of slack. Work gets done but it's pretty easy." Sakura looked at him and smiled dropping her hand and looking surprised.

"Really? I heard it was hard." The doctor shook his head and smiled again.

"Naw it's laid back you'll like it. I can explain it later how about dinner sometime?" Sakura looked at him and smiled evilly dropping her henge.

"I'm so glad you think it's easy to work here and no to dinner I'm married." The doctor looked on wide eyed and scared as Sakura walked up to the front of the room turning heads as she passed. She turned around and looked at the doctors and nurses standing in the room with her fiery emerald eyes. "Alright I want to say first and foremost that I am here to run the hospital thoroughly and efficiently so that it helps everyone it needs to and can become just as good as the hospital in Konoha if not better. I also want to say that I am like the Hokage in the way that I like to get things done right the first time. I will not give up on a patient until I am certain there is not even a sliver of hope left. I believe that you should at least try and save someone if they are not already too far gone. Too far gone means they are already dead or on their last breath with no possible hope of recovery." The doctors and nurses nodded watching their new head medical director with wide eyes. "I also want to say I am absolutely appalled at the state of the waiting room order. There was a Genin out there that had a raging fever, broken rib and multiple cuts and possible bruising. He was almost unconscious in the chair and nobody was checking on him even when clearly there were more than enough doctors to have time to flirt with the secretary! In Konoha Genin, Chunnin, Jonin, and academy level students are always considered important along with civilians. Sometimes even more important. I want nurses to work in the waiting room checking on patients and categorizing them into immediate and delayed priority. I will teach these nurses myself about what to look for in patients and how to categorize them. I am also instituting a rule that the waiting room must have a minimum of at least two nurses in it checking on patients at all times. Now any questions about that?" Sakura said looking at the nurses and doctors. A doctor in the back raised his hand and adjusted his glasses looking at Sakura. She nodded and he spoke.

"Lady Kaze-hime can we also have more doctors and nurses patrolling the ER? We don't have enough in there to keep an eye on patients that are in critical condition or those that come in with broken bones and other serious injuries. Most of us are busy with surgery or those patients in immediate critical condition." Sakura nodded and the doctor smiled a little.

"He brings up a valid point. I will look into that. Now I want to know how many of you know how to use chakra for healing." She looked as a few doctors raised their hands and a few nurses as well. She counted and nodded. There was a good amount. Enough for her to be satisfied. She nodded to them and walked towards the door calling, "Dismissed!" She then walked down the hall and put on a different henge of a girl with long black hair and blue eyes with tan skin. She turned a corner and saw a man arguing with a frightened nurse that was pushing a boy in a wheelchair.

"I understand Sir but he has a broken leg." The nurse said as the boy looked at her from the wheelchair. Sakura's brow furrowed and she approached the two and they turned to look at her.

"What do you want? Don't you have somewhere to be?" He snapped at her and Sakura's temper rose again. She looked at the nurse and smiled.

"Take this young man to where you were going. Give him a lollipop for being so patient." She said and the nurse nodded walking quickly away as the man whirled on Sakura.

"What do you think you are doing ordering her around you insufferable little brat! I am the head medical director here you have no authority to do that! I will have your name brought to the Kazekage and you will be fired!" Sakura looked at him unblinking and scowling.

"Well I find that a pointless argument as he is a dear friend of mine." The man scoffed and looked at her scowling.

"I bet he got you this job didn't he? You probably have no talent and only got here because you begged your 'dear old friend'. A likely story! I've heard that one before I will add lying to my complaints." Sakura was absolutely seething now and she growled audibly making him stick up his nose anymore. "That will go under severe disrespect! What's your name?" He hissed at her and she smirked dropping her henge.

"Sakura no Sabaku Kaze-hime of Suna and the new head medical director of Suna Hospital." She said glaring at him as he looked at her even smugger.

"I'll admit your henge of Lady Kaze-hime is good but you failed to get her pouty expression and too pointed turned up nose. She is a poor person to henge for someone as dumb as you. I am calling security and having you locked up for impersonating her and insulting me as well as being a rude little bitch." Sakura snapped and punched him hard enough to send him sailing down the hall and into a wall leaving a dent in it and definitely breaking his nose if not his face. Two doctors that had seen the whole thing cheered loudly and Sakura nodded to them before turning on her heel still furious. She rounded the corner quickly and stormed outside the doors of the hospital where she promptly disappeared into a flurry of Sakura petals. She appeared outside of the Kazekage Building absolutely furious and on a mission to get the man she just punched in some major trouble. The entire hospital seemed to be in shambles!

_"Surely Shishou didn't think it was this bad. I mean the last time I was here I was aware they were undertrained in herbs and some types of healing but I didn't think it was that bad." _In her head Inner was on a similar rampage cussing the man who had insulted her.

_"YEAH THAT'S RIGHT BASTARD YOU'RE GOING DOWN! YOU MESS WITH THE BULL YOU GET THE HORNS!" _Sakura was completely stressed and angry her temper flaring even more as she thought about what he said. She rounded a corner and a poor girl jumped out of the way scared at the sight of a very angry looking Kaze-hime storming towards the secretary at the end of the hall. The secretary was someone she recognized as the cute girl named Matsuri that used to fawn over Gaara until she herself got married to an old classmate of hers. She saw Sakura and smiled at her until she saw Sakura's almost feral expression.

"Uh Lady Kaze-hime! The Kazekage is just getting out of a meeting he should be down that hall!" She said pointing and Sakura nodded and gave Matsuri a small smile before storming away her anger still flaming. Gaara had just gotten out of a meeting and was thinking about Sakura when he saw a pink haired girl storming through a hallway past him. He became alarmed and rushed forward calling her name.

"Sakura!" She heard his voice and he ran to her as she stopped and whirled around to face him. He walked over to her and looked at her a bit worried. "What is it? Why are you here? Is something wrong?" He looked over her worried that she had gotten hurt or attacked by someone but she shook her head.

"The former Head Medical director insulted me completely and I hit him into a wall but before that the entire hospital is in shambles. There was a Genin passing out in the waiting room and nobody seemed to care!" She looked at him her emerald eyes full of anger and sadness. He scowled and looked at her.

"Take me to them then I know you are capable of dealing with this but let me handle it." He smiled at her lightly and she nodded taking a deep breath as he took her hand in his. They were transported by his sand to the hospital. Sakura walked through the door and saw two nurses in the waiting room checking on the patients and some doctors talking to each other about medical reports as they walked down the hall but nobody seemed to be moving around. Gaara looked at her as she walked quickly down the hall in her white lab coat before following her. She walked past a wall where there was a large dent and a janitor sweeping plaster and drywall off the floor. Gaara smiled quietly to himself and followed her to a room where a man lay in a bed and flinched when Sakura walked in before glaring at her.

"Your temper will get you nowhere and I don't care who you're married to you'll always be under my power as long as my medical reputation is the way it is. I am on the brink of a breakthrough in a medicine to cure a disease that sweeps through Suna every year and only I know the formula for it." He sniffed indignantly and Sakura picked up the chart on the end of the bed looking at him with a small smile.

"I'm sorry you think that. Lady Tsunade sent me here to do a job and I intend to do it." He scowled at her and then sneered.

"Only I know the research and the formula for the medicine and I will withhold it indefinitely even if I lose my job. I certainly am not going to have some bitchy little whore get her dirty hands on it. I could care less who you are married to everyone knows the marriage was just a plan to get Suna and Konoha in an alliance. All political marriages are like that." Sakura's eye twitched and she turned on him ready to hit him but Gaara walked into the room at that moment his eyes hard and cold. Sakura remembered that look from the Chunnin Exams. He meant business and would kill to get it. The man's eyes widened as Gaara spoke.

"I will not have someone talk to my wife that. You will apologize to her and give her the formula for your medicine. On top of that I am banning you from ever working in the medical field in Suna. If you fail to do this I will have you locked up for threatening the Kaze-hime and insulting her and myself." He glared at him and the man flinched but the fear in his eyes was great enough for him to nod. "Not all political marriages are merely political. I fell in love with her enough to want to marry her. Politics never came into it until after I had told the Hokage I was going to marry her adopted daughter. I would watch your tongue from now on." The man nodded and Gaara left the room followed by Sakura who looked at him in awe.

"I must admit I didn't see that coming." She said and he chuckled.

"Nobody insults my wife and gets away with it. Anyways I have another meeting to get to and I have a new idea to propose to the elders. Regardless of what they say I'll still get my idea through. Tsunade would gladly help if I needed it." Sakura looked at him oddly and he smiled. "Money for the hospital. You need it." Sakura smiled at him and he leaned down and pulled her into a kiss as a speaker came on above them.

"Lady Kaze-hime to the ER. Lady Kaze-hime to the ER." Sakura looked at Gaara and he smiled.

"Go save some lives Blossom." She smiled and gave him another quick peck before running away down the hall. He smiled and transported back to the Kazekage tower. Yes he was going to get her that money one way or another.

"Where am I needed?" Sakura called to a passing nurse when she got to the ER. The nurse pointed to a room where a doctor had just come out of.

"Lady Kaze-hime! We have a man coming in from a mission. He's losing a lot of blood and appears to have shrapnel in his arm." Sakura nodded and pulled back the curtain taking in the nurses rushing around him with rags trying to staunch the bleeding coming from multiple cuts. Sakura moved to look at him her hands already full of chakra.

"How many weapons and where?" She asked scanning over him trying to stop the major areas of bleeding.

"Five kunai in the chest two shuriken in the left arm and what appeared to be a burn on the right arm full of shrapnel from an explosion." Sakura nodded scanning over his right arm and looking at one of the nurses.

"Get me an operating room and a doctor to help me get the shrapnel out! They need to have chakra healing techniques!" The nurse nodded and rushed out as Sakura pulled out a senbon lodged deep in the man's arm healing the torn muscle and tissue. The doctor came in and Sakura and the nurses wheeled the man to the operating room quickly as Sakura pulled on a blue overcoat and gave a nurse her white lab coat. They walked into the operating room and the doctor picked up a pair of tweezers as nurses worked on healing the man's chest and left arm. Sakura took a pair of tweezers herself moving to the man's right arm. She scanned for shrapnel and the doctor did as well. They started pulling out bits of metal from his arm putting them on a table and then healing the tissue. The work went quickly and they finished in a few minutes leaving Sakura and the nurses to heal the man. Sakura checked his burned arm and healed the parts that were badly burned before letting a nurse wash off his arm gently. Another nurse took off his vest and shirt wiping down his chest exposing the cuts better and letting Sakura heal the ones that were more serious and leaving the ones that weren't bad. After she determined he was stable and on the mend she left leaving the nurses to clean and dress his wounds as well as fins him a room. The doctor followed her as she threw the blue coat and the gloves on her hand into the trash can outside the operating room before going over to the sink and washing her hands and arms up to the elbow like she was taught. The doctor did the same before looking over at her. She had put back on her white lab coat and was drying her hands.

"Lady Kaze-hime my name is Ray I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself at the meeting earlier. " Sakura looked at him and recognized him as the man who had suggested having more doctors and nurses in the ER. She smiled and nodded.

"It is nice to meet you Ray. I was wondering if you could be so kind as to help me find my office. I believe it is on the second floor." He nodded and walked out of the washing room with her. He walked up the stairs to the second floor and down a hallway to where there was a large office. Sakura walked inside and nodded to him. "Thank you Ray." He nodded and left leaving Sakura to look at the massive stack of paperwork on her desk. 

_"Ugh I get stuck with all of this? Oh well I'll have it done in no time." _She picked up the first packet and started reading before signing the last page and filing it. Yes it was going to be a long day. She thought sighing and reaching for the next packet. In the Kazekage Building Gaara sat in the meeting listening to people talk about a need for more houses. He nodded and agreed to it.

"I want to talk about the hospital." He said suddenly breaking his silence. They all looked at their Kazekage who rarely spoke in these meetings unless addressed and waited for an explanation. "They need more money to keep our shinobi healthy and healed as well as our citizens. I propose we give them more money for renovations and medical equipment as well as more staff." The advisors looked at him and then at each other.

"Well I'm sure we can manage that. If it helps the hospital." One of the advisors said and Gaara nodded before standing and looking at them.

"Meeting adjourned." He walked out of the room and down the hall past Matsuri as he called over his shoulder. "I'm finished for the day." She nodded and went back to filing papers. He turned a corner and walked outside before transporting with his sand to the hospital where he walked inside. He was amazed at what he saw. Nurses and doctors were walking around calmly and casually discussing work and papers as nurses kindly checked patients in the waiting room. He walked up to the desk and the secretary told him to go to the second floor and turn left to find her office. He nodded and walked through the halls nodding to nurses and doctors as they said hello to him. Everyone seemed to be working better and smoother and Sakura had only been there for a few hours. He was thoroughly impressed and walked down the hall to the stairs climbing them and walking down the hall to the door the secretary told him to go to. He walked over to her door and opened it walking inside to see Sakura slumped over the desk. He panicked a little rushing to her side until he heard the deep even breaths she was emitting. She was asleep. He looked at her and shook his head before shaking her shoulder lightly making her jolt up and almost fall out of her seat in a flurry of papers. She blinked at him and he chuckled lightly as she put her head on her hand and looked up at him through her fingers.

"I could have hit you by accident!" She said standing up and yawning. He looked at her and lightly rolled his eyes.

"Come on sleeping beauty let's get you back to our bed." Sakura nodded and he scooped her up in his arms before transporting them back to their house. Sakura held onto Gaara as he brought her into the house and up the stairs to their room where he laid her down on the bed and helped her pull off her shoes setting them on the floor before helping her take off her medic skirt and pack on her waist setting them on the floor as well leaving her in her medic top and shorts. She promptly snuggled under the covers and closed her eyes as Gaara took off his Kazekage robe and his shoes setting them near Sakura's before taking off his pants and putting on a pair of clean black ones leaving his short on. He heard Sakura mumble something and looked over at her as she repeated it clearer.

"Warm hubby here now." She mumbled again making him smile a little as he crawled into bed next to her. She snuggled up to him immediately and he kissed her hair.

"I love you Sakura-chan." He saw her smile and murmur back to him.

"I love you Gaara-kun." Her deep breathing returned soon after and he smiled falling asleep soon after her. Sleep didn't bring him any peace though as he fell into a dream that made him very uneasy.

_"Gaara-kun please come back." Sakura said as he saw her crying while she stood on top of the Suna wall. He wanted to yell to her and tell her he was right there but he was so confused. He couldn't see himself and he couldn't yell to her. He found himself frozen in one spot as he watched helplessly as she cried. He heard his sister's voice and found he could turn his head to look at her. She was running up the stairs to where Sakura was. Sakura turned her head and shook it as she leapt off the wall. Temari screamed and Gaara found his voice and screamed as well. He watched helplessly and just as her body was about to hit the sand below… _Gaara shot up in his sleep and panted lightly before looking over in the bed next to him where Sakura slept soundly. He sighed and ran his hand through his red hair. "It was only a dream. Thank Kami." He sighed and lay back down closing his eyes again and wrapping his arm around her as if holding onto her so he would never ever lose her. She moved in her sleep and held onto his arm making him smile as he fell back asleep. He didn't remember the dream he had but found himself waking up to light falling on his face. He opened his eyes and blinked in the light coming in from a small sliver of uncovered window behind the curtain and turned to look at the sleeping form next to him. He smiled at her perfect form and her beautiful features in the pale morning light. He noticed she looked paler than usual but he knew it was just a trick of the light. She gave a small hum and her eyelids fluttered before they opened a fraction of an inch and she blinked in the dim light. She noticed Gaara watching her and smiled.

"Good morning Gaara-kun. Did you sleep well?"

"I sleep alright. What about you?" He said putting a hand on her cheek and making her smile again as she stretched her arms happily.

"I slept great. I was so tired last night." He smirked and nodded.

"I noticed." She rolled her eyes and smiled before standing up and yawning as she stretched. She walked over to the bathroom and let out a small gasp of horror making Gaara rush into the bathroom thinking something was wrong. He saw her looking into the mirror and then over at him.

"How can you not laugh at this?" She said pointing to her hair that was completely flat in the back and stuck out on the sides. He looked at her confused and relieved and shook his head.

"The next time you gasp in horror remind me not to think you're dying." He turned around and walked out of the bathroom as he heard the shower turn on. He walked into the closet and picked up her usual uniform and a pair of underwear for her setting them in the bathroom as she hummed in the shower. He smiled and walked back out pulling off his shirt and pants and tossing them into the hamper before he pulled on another pair of his usual clothes. He heard the water shut off in the bathroom and a few minutes later Sakura came out wearing her usual outfit. She smiled and took his hand leaning up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her slowly and softly. She pulled back and looked at him a small hint of lust held in her emerald eyes. He chuckled and kissed her forehead before the couple walked down the stairs to the kitchen where Sakura pulled out a skillet and Gaara some eggs to make. They had just cracked the eggs into the pan as a knock sounded on the door. Gaara went to open it as Sakura tossed the eggs in the pan. Gaara returned with a slightly worried and scowling look. Sakura turned and saw it putting the eggs onto the plates before walking over to him concerned.

"What is it Gaara-kun?" She set the eggs down and he looked at her.

"I need to go to a meeting. Don't worry I'll explain everything." He leaned over and kissed her before walking out the door as she watched him disappear a bit worried and confused. She shrugged it off as political issues or something with the elders and sat down to eat her eggs alone.

END OF CHAPTER 49! ONE MORE AND I'M AT FIFTY! PLEASE REVIEW THIS! 3 3 3 LOVE TO ALL! ~SAKI-CHAN


	46. Chapter 50

Deidara- WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN SHE NEEDS TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL AGAIN!

Kisame- I blame this on Hidan. My poor Saki-chan.

Hidan- I DIDN'T DO A FUCKING THING!

Kakuzu- My Koibito will be alright I'm going to visit her.

Deidara- YOUR Koibito? She's MY Saki-chan!

Hidan- Wait just a fucking minute! She's mine!

Kisame- Hey I had first dibs!

Kakuzu- Before I kill you all Koibito owns nothing!

Chapter 50

Sakura walked into the hospital in a bit of a worried state. She was, however, happy to see that the waiting room was completely looked after and there were only three patients in it. She waved her hello to the secretary and walked to the hallway where the staff changing rooms were. She grabbed her white nurse's coat and walked out into the hallway again watching as man went running down the hall past her. She frowned and picked up her pace following him as she did not see any identification and thought he might be a visitor. She turned a corner and looked up at the sign as she heard a cry of pain. This was the intense care unit where shinobi were taken when they were seriously injured or in critical condition. She saw the man run into a room and heard a voice come over the loudspeakers.

"Lady Kaze-hime to room 312 in ICU. Lady Kaze-hime to room 312 in ICU." Sakura looked at the room number where the man had just run to and saw it said room 312. She walked quickly over to the door and opened it walking inside surprising the doctors and nurses in the room. The man she saw was being calmed by a nurse as she tried her best to sit him down. A girl lay on the bed writhing in pain as a doctor injected her with a sedative. Sakura walked over and looked at the doctor.

"Status and problem." She said and the doctor looked at her.

"Stable but waning. Head injury and possible genjutsu." Sakura nodded and put her hands full of chakra over the girl's brow. She felt the effects of a genjutsu on her and made a quick hand signal before putting her hands back on the girl's brow and saying release. The girl jolted in her fitful sleep and her breathing and rapid heart rate evened out. Sakura then sent her healing chakra into the girl's head being careful of the stitches on her forehead where a wound had been sewn. She evened out the girl's chakra signals that were scrambled and then looked over at the nurse near the sink.

"Wrap up her head where the stitches are and move her to recovery." She nodded to the nurses trying to calm the man down and they let him go. He ran over to the girl and looked at her kissing her cheek and hand gently.

"You're ok now Liz I'm here." Sakura smiled at him and he looked at her. "Thank you for helping my sister." Sakura nodded and walked out of the room. She checked in on a few more patients in the ICU and then made her way to her office. She walked over to the desk and filed the papers she finished the day before. She then started on the rest of the budgeting for the hospital and the permission for new things to be added. She was almost finished when someone knocked on her door.

"Come in." She said and the door opened to reveal a familiar face. Ray stuck his head in the room and smiled before walking in and handing her a box wrapped in a red cloth.

"The Kazekage's secretary dropped it off for you." She nodded and he left the room. She opened the cloth wrapping and smiled when she saw a note with her name on top resting on the bento box. She opened it and read it smiling.

_Sakura-chan, _

_I'm sorry I couldn't deliver this personally. The meetings are rather long. I'll be home late tonight I have a lot of paperwork to sort through. I'm sorry I'll make it up to you. _

_Gaara_

She smiled and opened the bento box picking up the chopsticks and eating the small dumpling first. She finished the rest quickly and then went back to her paperwork finishing it quickly. She felt a little light headed when she stood up and brushed it off as overworking herself. She felt exhausted and hung her nurse's coat in the staff changing room before informing the secretary that she was leaving and walking out the door into the desert heat. It was about two in the afternoon and there was plenty of light. She pulled a hood on her cloak up over her head and walked into the market looking in the stalls and smiling as she saw a stall selling fresh strawberries. She walked over and bought a bunch before walking back to her house smiling and humming happily. She opened the door and walked inside to the kitchen where she put the strawberries on the counter and pulled out a container of flour along with some milk and sugar. She had more ingredients sitting on the counter and went searching for a pie pan. She found one in the far corner of a cabinet pulling it out and cleaning it off before setting about making the dough for the pie crust. She stuck it into the fridge to cool and then walked into the living room where she turned on the television to the Ninja news channel that you needed a password to view. She typed it in and listened to the news reporter that was a shinobi for Konoha report.

_"Rogues are growing increasingly active near the border of Wind Country and Fire Country. Attacks are becoming more common on shinobi and some casualties have been reported. A planned attack was rumored to be planned. The target is undefined but shinobi should be wary." _Sakura frowned at this and shut the television off going into the kitchen and taking out the pie crust. She put it on the table and rolled it out before placing it in the pie pan. She then washed the strawberries and cut them before placing them into a bowl. She then started on the filling for the pie. Once she had finished this she poured it onto the strawberries and poured the whole mixture into the waiting pie crust. She hummed and turned on the oven to 400 degrees and put the pie in. She set an egg timer and then walked into the living room again settling on watching the Shinobi news channel again. The story they were reporting was different and rather boring on new protocol in the Snow Country. She soon found herself slipping into sleep. She was woken up a few minutes later when the egg timer beeped rather loudly making her jolt out of her sleep and walk to the kitchen where she pulled out the strawberry pie. She smiled and cracked open the back window that lead to the greenhouse that served as part of their backyard. She put the pie on the window sill and sighed as she turned around to grab it again remembering that she did not need to worry about Naruto stealing a bite or Kiba and Akamaru licking it when she wasn't looking. She smiled at the memory of a time when Naruto got caught with his hand in the pie and she punched him halfway across Konoha.

"It's so nice out today I might as well go take a walk." She smiled and walked out of her house into the Suna heat. She walked up the road traveling away from the hospital and the Kazekage office. She smiled at two children that went running past laughing and kicking a ball through the sand covered cobblestone. She did like Suna. She turned a corner and came upon a familiar part of the city. Her spirits fell a little as she walked through the streets on a route she had been on before. _"I was covered in dirt and my clothes were ripped. I had a wrap around my middle and I was exhausted. I had been unable to sleep and my eyes were red from tiredness." _She thought remembering what she had looked like the last time she walked down this road. She had neared a path that she turned down walking along it to a familiar place full of plain looking grey stones. _"I was in pain and scared. Not to mention tired. That was the last time I was here to see you. Chiyo-baasama." _She walked up the rows to where a larger stone stood amongst the rest. She put her hands on top of it just like she had so long ago before and two people seemed to stand there. One tired, injured, beaten, and scared. The other remembering, proud, sad, and respectful. She smiled and looked at the name on the stone remembering the woman she had barely known but had a strong bond to.

"I owe you so much. You brought him back to life. We both did. You helped save me and then him. I owe you Gaara, Chiyo-baasama, thank you." She smiled and knelt down onto the sandy ground placing her forehead to the ground in a bow to the grave before standing and walking down the path. It was all very quick and she had plenty of time to spare. She decided to walk back towards her house and travel down a different path. She hadn't seen many people out until she walked down this road. There were a few shinobi walking down the road. She saw someone that looked familiar sitting on a chair in front of a soba stand. She heard laughter and smiled as she walked past. She heard the laughter abruptly stop and then a voice called out her name.

"Hey Kaze-hime!" She turned and saw Baki's head sticking out from the cloth covering the soba shop. She smiled and waved to him walking back up the road to where he and a few other Jounins had come out from the soba shop.

"Hey Baki I was just taking a walk." He nodded and she looked at the three other Jounin that were whispering quietly behind his back. "Would you like to introduce me to your friends?" She said smiling at the Jounins who looked at her. He looked at them and smiled.

"These are Sanji, Gin, and Taka. This is the Kaze-hime." He said and they all bowed. Sakura looked at Baki and rolled her eyes.

"Sakura is the name not Kaze-hime. I don't require friends to call me by my title." He nodded and smiled as the other Jounins looked at her a bit nervous. "I was wondering if there are training fields I could use. I feel a bit cooped up in the hospital and usually I like to train a little in Konoha." Baki looked at her and nodded.

"There are some training fields down this way but the largest ones are up in the northern part of the city. The fastest way is by rooftops." Sakura smiled and laughed.

"Alright then would you like to show me the way? You are all welcome to come and train as well." The other Jounin looked at her and blinked before nodding. Baki jumped onto the nearest roof and Sakura followed behind him racing across the roofs happily in their element. They got to the top level of training fields and Sakura saw a huge area of trees with grass in the middle; a rarity for the desert. She dropped down and walked into the large training area. She smiled and pulled on her black gloves looking around the huge grassy area. The grass here was spikey and yellowish unlike the soft green grass common in Konoha. She smiled and turned to the Jounins. "Let's get started." She smiled and disappeared into a flurry of Cherry Blossom petals appearing in a tree on the outskirts of the training area. One of the Jounin threw a kunai towards her and she dodged in a perfect jump sending one back towards him. He jumped out of the way as Baki smiled and leaned against a tree to watch the other Jounin spar with their new Kaze-hime. He had rarely seen her fight and wanted to know just how powerful she really was. He watched as she engaged a hand-to-hand kunai battle with one of the Jounin jumping back and forth quickly as another threw senbon at her. She did a summer sault in the air and landed on the ground happily before rolling and throwing out a scroll making a quick hand sign and slamming it onto the ground as a beautiful katana popped out of it in an equally gorgeous sheath. She pulled it out of its sheath securing the sheath itself to her back with its strap. One of the Jounin charged her and she stopped him with the katana beginning to fight with another one of the Jounin who also had a katana. They fought for a while until one of the Jounin dropped out panting and gasping for breath as he walked over to Baki and sat down against the tree.

"Exhausted huh?" Baki asked looking at Sakura who had resealed her katana and its holder and was now resorting to chakra laden punches against another one of the Jounins until he went flying into a tree with a well-placed kick from Sakura. Baki smiled and watched as the final Jounin attacked Sakura full force with kicks and slashes from a kunai. She dodged them well panting and sweating herself as she suddenly raised a chakra full fist as the Jounin landed coming down and slamming her fist into the ground with a forceful "Shannaro!" The force shook the ground and sent the Jounin flying creating a huge crater and making Baki and the other two try to keep their balance as the force hit them. Sakura stood up and took off her gloves panting and sweating in the heat the hung around the training area. She walked over to Baki and smiled through her pants.

"Thanks Baki I needed that. I'll see you around!" She smiled and waved as she walked out of the training area leaving Baki smiling and the other Jounin panting and gasping.

"She is darn…powerful! Now I know why…Kazekage-sama…chose her to…marry!" Taka said gasping as he leaned against the tree Baki was near. Baki chuckled and shook his head.

"That was not even a fraction of what she can do. No doubt about it Sakura is almost as powerful as the Hokage." Sakura herself walked out of the training area feeling tired but refreshed. She walked back down the path to her house as the sun started to set bringing the un-natural chill of the desert to Suna. She walked up to her house and opened the door walking inside and then shutting the door as she walked up the stairs to her room. She yawned as she threw her clothes into the hamper and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up. She turned and looked in the mirror at her pale skinned figure. She could still see the scar on her stomach from where she was stabbed by Sasori. She could not get rid of it and it was almost unnoticeable. It was a small white line that ran across her stomach right below her belly button. She sighed and ran her finger across it. The shower seemed warm enough and she turned walking over to it and stepping into the warm water. She grabbed her cherry shampoo and massaged it into her hair letting the water wash away the sweat from training. She then proceeded to wash her body taking great care to scrub off all of the dust and dirt from training. Sighing she shut off the water and stepped out grabbing a towel and drying off feeling fresh and clean. She glanced at the clock and saw it was around six thirty. After grabbing a pair of pants, that came down to the shins and were a bit baggy, along with a pink tank top with the word "Cupcake" on the chest; she made her way downstairs. Finding some tempura in the fridge, no doubt a leftover, she pulled it out and heated it up in the microwave. She shivered and turned around grabbing the cooled strawberry pie as she shut the window. She set it on the counter and grabbed the tempura and some chopsticks as she meandered into the living room plopping down in front of the television for what felt like the umpteenth time that day.

"Man I can't have any spare time on my hands or I'll get bored!" She said to herself with a small laugh. She wondered idly if Kankuro and Temari would be back in a few days. She knew they would keep her busy when Gaara was working. She smiled as she thought of her red haired Kazekage with his conservative smiles and his habit to be completely oblivious as to how bothered she got when he walked around in a towel. She shook her head and turned on the TV wanting to get caught up on what was going on with the reports of the rogue attacks.

_"The rogues have stopped any attacks on shinobi in the Northern Forest. The normal rogue activity seems to have started again with small bands pillaging and stealing as usual. No word on how long this will continue. In other news the Kazekage has taken a Kaze-hime. Sakura Senju Haruno from Konoha was married to Kazekage Gaara no Sabaku of Suna three days ago. This was their public wedding in Suna bonding not only them but their two countries in an even stronger alliance." _Sakura smiled and then gasped a little as she saw the footage from their wedding come on the screen. Surely the gorgeous creature on the screen was not her! She looked so poised and regal when she walked down the long staircase towards Gaara. She looked like a princess. She watched in awe as the ceremony was played across her television. She was amazed at how beautiful everything looked and how amazing it was to be seeing herself on the television. The ceremony ended on the television and she blinked a few times. The reporter came back on and began to speak again. 

_"We would like to congratulate the new couple and wish them a life of happiness." _Sakura felt tears in her eyes and blinked again before rubbing them away with her hands. She shut off the television and checked the clock seeing it was now around nine and the sun had long since set. She yawned and decided to put a movie in to watch until Gaara came home. She settled on an old romance movie and walked back to the couch as the movie started. A few minutes into it she found herself yawning and before she knew it she had fallen asleep with her head resting on a pillow lying across the couch on her side with her knees pulled up to her stomach. Outside Gaara walked up the street towards his house yawning a little and smiling as he thought about seeing his wife. He opened the door and heard a movie playing in the living room. He smiled as he knew that Sakura had waited for him. He walked into the living room and couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Sakura sprawled out across the couch breathing evenly with her pink hair splayed across her face. He knelt next to her and gently shook her shoulder. Her eyes opened and she blinked before sitting up quickly and looking at him bewildered.

"Oh! I didn't mean to fall asleep!" She attempted to stand up clumsily uttering apologies for falling asleep making him chuckle again.

"Sakura-chan I know you're tired and I am not angry. I'm actually rather happy you're tired because I am absolutely exhausted." He took her hand and pulled her out of the room and up the stairs to their room where she smiled and happily walked over to the bed flopping on top of it and closing her eyes. He smiled and took off his clothes before changing into a pair of black boxers and pants. He was about to reach for a shirt when he heard a small yawn from behind him. He turned and saw Sakura stretched across the bed with a sleepy little smile on her face with her eyes closed. He put the shirt down and walked over to the bed crawling under the covers where she now lay and let her move so her head rested on his chest. She sighed happily and he traced circles on her back slowly making her hum happily. Soon her humming stopped as they both fell asleep with his arm over her side and her face buried in his chest.

Kankuro and Temari were in the woods camping out as Temari took the first watch. She sighed happily as she realized she would be back in Suna by tomorrow night. "We should have stayed in Konoha longer. They are probably still on their honeymoon. Oh well I won't bother them at all. I wish I could have seen more of Shikamaru though." She said smiling and letting her thoughts drift off to Konoha and the shadow nin she secretly liked. Maybe he could come back to Suna soon. Or she could join the Suna-Konoha exchange for a year. "Yes I might do that." She smiled and continued to watch the forest that was still in the night.

Morning brought the usual rays of light into Gaara and Sakura's room waking up Gaara first. He yawned and looked over at his wife smiling before remembering what he wanted to tell her. He sighed.

_"How can I tell her? I know she's a kunoichi but war is such a touchy subject and I don't want her to get worried." _He heard an all too familiar laughter in his head as Shukaku interjected his thoughts.

_"Tell it to her straight kid. Bring her to a meeting with the council and explain everything you know to her. Face it kid she'll end up figuring it out sooner or later. Then you'll have to deal with a pissed off kunoichi that could break mountains with her punch." _Gaara thought over this and sighed again not wanting to have to listen to the demon but knowing he had to. He watched Sakura as she slept until the light hit her and made her open her emerald eyes as Gaara kissed her throat gently over her mark making her suck in her breath.

"Mmm Morning Gaara-kun." She said smiling and kissing his jaw as he looked at her. She noticed his expression and sat up looking at him. "What's wrong? I know that look Gaara. Shishou gets the same one when something's going on." Gaara looked at her and rubbed his neck a little lying down on the pillows as Sakura looked at him concerned.

"Come with me to a council meeting today. I'll tell you everything when we get to my office." She looked at him a bit surprised but nodded. She was quiet as she looked at him lying on his back with his eyes now closed again. She didn't know it but she was practically drooling. He was lying on the bed in pants and boxers riding a little low on his hips showing off his pale stomach with an impressive six pack. He was well toned. But then again most ninja's were. She knew that she herself was very toned from training. Still she sat quietly marveling at her husband's impressive body that seemed so captivating to her. She decided to make a bold move and opened her mouth speaking shakily.

"Gaara-kun would you mind…helping me wash my hair this morning?" She said innocently and Gaara opened his eyes looking at her with a quizzical expression. He was amused at her innocent face knowing full well she was anything but innocent. Granted he had only been with her once.

"Of course I will Sakura-chan." He said making her smile a little and stand up.

"I'll go draw the water for the bath." She said nervously walking into the bathroom and shutting the door. He heard the bathwater running and stood up pulling down his pants and boxers throwing them into the hamper before walking over to the bathroom door. He heard her get into the water and opened the door walking inside where she had already sunk into the water with her eyes closed in the bubbles that filled the tub. He shut off the water and climbed in settling in next to her not touching her but close enough to hear her gentle breaths. She opened her eyes and looked at him a faint blush playing on her cheeks. He smiled and put his hand on the side of her face stroking it gently.

"That is my one weakness." He said making her laugh. She handed him the shampoo and turned her back towards him making him smile as he rubbed the shampoo into her hair. She hummed happily grabbing the soap and lifting up one of her arms rubbing it with the soap until it was covered in lather before dipping it back into the water she did the same with the other arm as Gaara finished with her hair. "Lay back and wash your hair out." He said and she obliged dipping her head under the water and rinsing out her hair. She unfortunately moved the bubbles in the bath and Gaara became a little red in the face when he saw her perky breasts in the space left vacant by the bubbles. They soon returned when she lifted her head and he was left with only a slight blush that he was trying his best to control. She turned to him and smiled completely oblivious to his discomfort.

"Ok now I'll wash your hair Gaara-kun." She smiled and reached for his shampoo accidentally bumping into his chest as she did so. He fought back the urge to grab her as she didn't seem to notice. She put the shampoo in her hands and then made him turn around. He heard her stand up in the bath to reach his head and his face became a little red again as the uncomfortable feeling returned. She began to massage the soap into his red hair and hummed as she did so. He got his blush under control and tried not to think of her naked. But it was so damn hard! She was in the bath right behind him and all of his will was being used against the idea of him turning around and jumping her right there. Shukaku was being of no help.

_"Damn hormones." _He thought as Sakura told him to lean back. He did and she didn't sit down yet as he rinsed his hair and sat back up. She moved to sit down at the same time he turned and ended up slipping and falling back into the water with a splash…right on top of Gaara. Gaara sat back up spluttering a little as Sakura looked up at him with big emerald eyes all of the bubbles pushed aside leaving her completely exposed under the water. Her mouth was set in a tiny 'o' shape making her look so incredibly innocent and utterly, edible. He looked at her as a blush formed on her face. That did it. He couldn't help it he was completely overtaken by the sudden need for her. He grabbed her in his arms and pulled her over to him kissing her suddenly on the lips making her gasp. This was all it took to push his tongue into her mouth making her moan a little at the sudden intrusion. When he pulled back and moved down to kiss along her jaw she couldn't help but speak out in short pants.

"Gaara-kun w-we need to get goinggg!" She gasped as his mouth latched onto her mark sending the chakra in it swirling and causing her to arch against his chest making him chuckle.

"This won't take long." He said moving down to kiss her breasts. She panted heavily straddling him as she arched again. He was starting to go insane. She was so sexy and utterly undeniable as she practically begged him to take her. She rubbed against his chest subconsciously and he growled possessively. "You're mine Sakura-chan and you always will be." She gasped as he entered her suddenly making her moan happily. He then proceeded to move quickly making her scream out as he kissed her chest feverishly and then made his way to her lips kissing her rather sloppily as he moved against her. He didn't care that they were getting water all over the floor nor did he care that they would have to clean it up later. He was much too focused on the moaning girl that belonged to him now screaming his name as she clamped around him. He felt his own release and moaned her name as he too came down from his hormone induced high. The couple sat there in the bath with her lying on his chest panting and his arms wrapped around her. They heard the alarm clock go off and he sighed as she looked at him her eyes still hazy.

"Gaara I think you'll have to take more baths with me." He chuckled and pulled her closer making her laugh.

"That is a promise I am willing to make Sakura." She smiled as they both stood and grabbed towels walking out of the bathroom to change into their clothes. The council would just have to forgive them for being a little late. Duty called and her name was Sakura.

END OF CHAPTER **50**! OMG OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! WOOHOO! REVIEWS PLEASEE!


	47. Chapter 52

Tobi- Where's Saki-chan!

Hidan- I FUCKING TOLD YOU SHE GOT BACK YESTERDAY AND NOW SHE'S IN HER ROOM!

Konan- Come on Hidan we're all nervous but lay off of him it doesn't help anything.

Hidan- She's not letting anyone in her room! I'm fucking pissed!

Konan- I don't think I've ever seen you so concerned.

Hidan- She's my Saki-chan of course I'm fucking upset. She owns nothing by the way.

Chapter 52

"Kazekage-sama! Lady Kaze-hime!" The council members stood and bowed as they walked in the room taking a seat at the head of the table. The council members sat back down and Gaara looked at them.

"My apologies for the lateness I had some urgent business to attend to." The council members nodded and Gaara spoke again. "Now I understand this meeting was important I already know what the situation is and I fear the course of action we are headed in is inevitable. First I would like to hear reports from our anbu sector." He nodded towards a man in a dog mask who spoke.

"Reports have been coming in on locations of the rogue's camps. There are fifteen on the border of Wind Country but we have no Intel on that of any other camps. Anbu from Konoha sent us details on rogues from as far as Grass Country." Gaara nodded.

"Their numbers?"

"Many. We do not have direct counts but there is definitely a considerable force." Gaara nodded and turned to Baki.

"Baki I need you to prepare. I'm afraid this could get out of hand. I received a message from Konoha saying that many forces of rogues are headed this way. I fear an attack is unavoidable. We will need to fight them. I plan on having a select team of anbu find their leader and kill him at all costs. We also need to know why they are attacking and if they have an ulterior motive behind this attack. If this is a diversion we need to know. My people's safety comes first." Sakura watched the meeting and was very impressed by the way Gaara handled it. She knew there was war brewing but now it seemed like it could happen at any moment. She was tense and she could tell Gaara was as well. They talked for a while longer about war strategies and plans and ended up taking up almost half of the day. Sakura added her opinions and stated a plan of action for medical professionals to be alert during the war. She also helped Gaara agree that there had to be at least one medical ninja in each rank when the battle actually occurred. The council agreed with this and also agreed to adding a system to allow medical personnel to bring wounded shinobi to the hospital faster from the gates. The meeting eventually ended and everyone set out to put the plans into motion. Sakura ran off to the hospital and called a staff meeting explaining the protocol and helping to prepare the hospital for the war. All the while she was hoping that it didn't happen. That by some miracle it didn't occur. She didn't finish until around eleven and trudged home through the dark streets drained of energy and chakra. She turned down the street to her house and bumped into Gaara who had also just finished his work. He looked at her and sighed and she did as well. They walked up the path to  
>their house and inside where Kankuro and Temari sat in the living room.<p>

"Hey guys! How was your time alone?" Kankuro said cheerily wiggling his eyebrows at them. Sakura rolled her eyes and trudged into the kitchen where she opened the fridge and pulled out cold ramen eating it lazily. Temari chuckled at this and at Gaara who flopped onto the couch. Sakura looked in the fridge again and pulled out the strawberry pie putting it into the oven to warm up. Temari meandered into the kitchen and leaned against the counter watching Sakura as she almost ran into the fridge as she went to put away her extra ramen. She chuckled a little as Sakura then went to peer into the oven at the strawberry pie that was now warm enough. She turned and looked around the kitchen halfheartedly for the oven mits. Temari shook her head and stopped her.

"I'll get it Sakura." She nodded and let Temari take care of it for her. She watched as the blonde reached down to take out the pan with the oven mits and yelped pulling her arm back quickly. "Ouch! Ugh Gaara you need to get your oven fixed!" Temari yelled at him clutching her arm. Sakura looked over at her and walked over taking Temari's arm in hers raising a hand full of chakra immediately.

"There now it won't show up as a burn." Temari looked at her and smiled pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks Sakura I missed you when we went back to Konoha but I'm back and we can spend some sister time together!" She smiled and Sakura did as well as she felt a small onset of dizziness. She shook it off and walked over to the counter where Temari had now put the pie. She smiled at Sakura and handed her a knife and some plates. Sakura cut the pie carefully and handed the knife back to Temari before using a spatula to remove a piece from the pie and place it on a plate. She handed it to Temari and then did the same with the other three plates. She walked into the living room balancing the plates on her arms as Gaara and Kankuro watched her with amused expressions. She handed them each a slice of pie and sat down with her own.

"Oh Kami I think I'm in love!" Kankuro exclaimed when he bit into the pie. "This is the best pie I have ever tasted! Thank Kami you have a wife who is an amazing cook Gaara! Maybe now we can stop having burned ramen every other night!" Gaara rolled his eyes and Sakura would have laughed had it not been for the fact she was incredibly tired. They sat in silence enjoying their pie as it soon disappeared from their plates. Sakura took them and brought them into the kitchen leaving the others in the living room. She had only been gone a moment when they heard a loud thump. They all were up in a flash rushing into the kitchen to see Sakura slumped against the cabinets completely passed out. Gaara looked at her worriedly and picked her up in his arms.

"She's fine she just used too much chakra today and is tired." He assured his siblings as they hovered near them equally as worried as Gaara. They nodded and said their goodnights as Gaara walked up the stairs with Sakura in his arms. "You sure seem to like to be carried by me Sakura-chan." He mused as he smiled slightly down at her. _"Shukaku what's wrong with her? Sakura has enough chakra to last a lot longer than what she did today." _He heard the demon growl a little as he put Sakura down in their bed and transported to the roof of the Kazekage tower, a place he was used to being.

_"She's storing her chakra. She's not used to it yet and has to build up the rest of her chakra to the same level. No doubt she'll be accustomed to it by tomorrow." _ Gaara nodded and sighed sitting on the roof and staring over the Suna rooftops at the huge moon that seemed to dwarf his town. He remembered fearing it. He remembered fearing what would happen to him if he slept. He remembered all of that. But he didn't care. Now he had complete control over Shukaku. He could use him to his advantage. Now he could sleep and watch the moon without it instilling any fear into him. He stayed for a few minutes longer just thinking. He wondered why Sakura was storing her chakra like Tsunade did. Was it because of the threat of a rogue attack or was it merely to help her become stronger than she already was. He didn't know and he wasn't at all worried about finding out. He sighed and stood giving the moon one last look before transporting back to his house. He walked into his bedroom and crawled into bed pulling Sakura against his chest careful not to wake her. She settled into his arms and he smiled before closing his eyes. _"This is how it's supposed to be. This is how it always will be."_ He thought as he fell into a peaceful sleep next to the pink haired kunoichi cradled in his arms.

The morning came fast again and Gaara woke up to find there was no kunoichi in his arms. He sat up quickly panicked before he smelled the sweet smell of a hot breakfast coming from down stairs. He smiled and sat up in the bed before standing and walking into the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed for the day. Sakura stood in the kitchen making breakfast as the tv droned in the background. She had it set to the shinobi channel and was happy that nothing appeared to be going on. She hadn't told Gaara about her storing chakra in her stomach like Tsunade did on her head. She had passed out from lack of chakra the day before and had no doubt Shukaku had told him. Inner had said he would and was commenting on what an odd place to store chakra it was.

_"I mean come on Sakura. Your stomach? Why?" _Sakura rolled her eyes and tossed the eggs in the pan.

_"I told you it's because I have the scar there and I can store chakra behind it. It's easiest and unnoticeable. I mean I have almost double the chakra I did before. I only passed out yesterday because I finished storing the chakra. I have been working on it for months. You know I have." _ Inner nodded and was about to comment on something else but Sakura quickly shut her out as she heard a beep from the television. She quickly took the eggs off of the stove and turned it off before rushing into the living room. She turned up the volume on the television and watched in horror at what was showing on the screen.

_"There has been an attack on a group of merchants on their way to Suna. They had been killed in the plains near Suna. The merchants were on their way back from Grass Country and had no weapons with them. Their bodies had been stabbed and the goods they were carrying taken. In the group there was a young mother and child that were still alive they are being immediately transported to Suna for urgent care."_ Gaara walked into the room and looked at Sakura who seemed rooted to the spot. He had heard the report and was also shocked. Sakura turned to him and he nodded.

"I'll see you later today go help them." She smiled at him apologetically and ran out the door on her way to the hospital. Gaara followed her out the door and transported himself to the Kazekage tower for what was bound to be an actual war meeting. Something had to be done and fast. Gaara had made plans for protecting the city as soon as he got back from being captured by the Akatsuki and the entire population of shinobi knew what to do. The genin would help all of the villagers evacuate to a safe area if the city did indeed get attacked and the academy students would be considered civilians in the event of an evacuation. The genin would also follow the villagers to the safe areas and leave the chunnin and Jounin to help defend Suna. The medical staff knew what to do thanks to Sakura and her emergency meetings that had been held the day before. He was confident Suna would be safe. He would protect it at all costs and he knew Sakura would do the same. He made it to the council room where they all already sat. He looked at them and sat down looking at Baki who started talking immediately.

"Come on people move!" Sakura shouted at the nurses rushing about the emergency room as she walked into the urgent care room where the little boy lay next to his mother. She rushed over and started monitoring their vitals working hard to stabilize them both. She alternated between the two until they were stable. She then focused on healing the major injuries on their bodies until the nurses and doctors could do the rest. To be honest she had to be physically pulled away from healing them before she passed out from chakra exhaustion. Sakura shook her head when a nurse told her she could go home. She went to the staff room and grabbed a cup of water downing it along with a soldier pill that would keep her going for the rest of the day. Sighing she walked outside of the hospital after announcing over the loud speakers for everyone to be on high alert in case of a code five. A code five meant they had engaged in war and were to be expecting wounded shinobi and to be transporting them from the gates to the hospital. She then transported herself quickly to the Kazekage tower by rushing over rooftops. She walked into the tower and saw everyone was a buzz. Used to this type of behavior when her Shishou caused a ruckus she plowed through and made her way quickly to the board room ignoring a frightened intern who ducked behind a plant as she rushed past. Sakura walked into the conference room when one of the shinobi guarding the door let her in.

"The woman and her son are stable and the hospital is ready and prepared for a code five." Gaara looked at her and she saw respect as well as worry in his eyes along with a coldness that she was familiar with. She sat next to him as the rest of the council looked at him.

"We engage in the operation tonight. Baki do you have the team that will find and infiltrate the hideout and find the leader?" He nodded and motioned for the anbu leader to come forward. The man in the monkey mask moved forward and nodded to Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama I and three other anbu members will infiltrate and find the base. We will contact you when it is found." He nodded and the anbu leader disappeared into a puff of smoke. Sakura looked at Gaara but he had his hands together an was leaning on them much like Tsunade did. He looked at the council as they fussed over papers and Baki stood to go and gather all of the shinobi to tell them the plan of action.

"The rest of you are dismissed as well as Baki." Gaara said and the council room cleared rather quickly. Sakura looked at Gaara and he sighed standing up and looking over at her. "Come with me I need to talk to you." Sakura nodded and followed him to his office. He shut the door and sighed sitting down at his desk. Sakura walked over and looked at him seeing the coldness in his eyes again.

"What is it? I know something happened in there that you don't want to tell me." He looked at her and sighed. She could read him well at times.

"I will have to help them fight. I will go undercover if I have to but I have to help them. My sand is a weapon I cannot deprive them of." Sakura looked at him and shook her head bemused.

"You're a shinobi and the Kazekage it's your duty. I know that. I'm a kunoichi and a medic ninja. I am going into the war as well. I wasn't going to give you an option of not sending me. I would have gone even if you had told me I couldn't. We both knew something like this might happen. We're ninja it's our life." He looked at her and nodded.

"I told Baki to place you on a team I knew it was unavoidable. No force could stop you from going I knew that the moment I realized there would be a war." She looked at him and sighed walking over and crawling into his lap making him a bit surprised.

"I am ready for the war. We all are don't worry about me and focus on helping your people. That's what I will be doing because I know you will be alright." She leaned over and kissed him lightly before standing up and walking towards the door. "I'm going to talk to Baki and find out my team. I'll see you tonight Gaara-kun." He nodded and walked over to her putting a hand against her pale cheek.

"I'll see you tonight Sakura-chan." She smiled slightly and walked out of his office leaving him alone with his thoughts. After a few minutes he decided to go and talk to Baki as well. They would need to set up the defenses tonight to be safe.

"Baki I came to ask you about my team-" Sakura started only to be cut off by Baki.

"Yes I put you on a very important team that will be leaving tomorrow morning early. " She looked at him and nodded not at all deterred by his interjection. He handed her a scroll with the details which she took and tucked into her pouch that rested on her hips to read later.

"Thank you Baki." He nodded and she left him to sort through the teams and talk to the shinobi that filled the halls. She walked past them getting nods from some, worried glances from others and smiles from a few. Her mind was busy running through what she had to do at the hospital and she decided to stage a code four alert meaning that everyone needed to be alert and ready for war. She would tell one of the doctors to be ready to start a code five alert the next morning if they heard of actual fighting. She decided she couldn't put it off and transported to the hospital by way of rooftops for the second time that day.

Gaara walked into the room as Baki was finishing his handing out of scrolls to the shinobi designating their squads. The squads determined where they would be when the fighting took place and what part of the city they would defend. The majority would be traveling to where the rogues were in ten man cells. The rest would stay and guard Suna from attack. Gaara waited until the shinobi had left before entering the room where Baki was.

"I came to see how everything was coming along but I see you have it under control as always. I knew you were right for this after seeing how hard you drilled my siblings when you were our sensei." Baki smirked and looked over at Gaara who was standing in the door frame watching him with cold eyes. He shook his head and looked at him.

"I would have drilled you to but you didn't seem up for it." Gaara gave a small smile and then hardened his expression again.

"Baki we need to set up the defenses tonight. The anbu team has already found them according to the scroll I received and I am sure that they will move towards us tomorrow morning." Baki nodded and sighed.

"I was afraid of that. No matter I can have the defenses up in ten minutes. I told all of the shinobi to stay at the barracks in the wall tonight in case of an attack. They are all there and I can have it ready as soon as I get there." Gaara nodded and Baki left the room to go and tell the shinobi to set up the defenses. Gaara was confident they would be safe. The guards on the ridge had not yet reported anything and he was confident that they wouldn't for a while longer. His main priority was finding Sakura. She was undoubtedly at the hospital getting things prepared again. He transported there with his sand and walked into the building just as Sakura was leaving. He followed her and she smiled upon seeing him.

"We are in a code four and ready to go at a moment's notice. All we need to do is get some sleep." She took his hand and he pulled her close as the sand swirled around them and they landed at their house. Temari and Kankuro had left a note on the door saying they were at the barracks getting everything set up. Kankuro would be leading a cell as well as Temari according to the scrolls lying on the counter in the kitchen. Sakura remembered that she hadn't read her scroll and pulled it out of her pouch. Gaara saw and walked over to her reading it over her shoulder.

_Sabaku no Sakura, _

_Will be in charge of a cell of ten. Job to attack enemy and gain information on them if possible. Will be the first striking squad and will act alone. Must be at gates by five am. _

Sakura looked at Gaara and saw a slight bit of worry in his eyes. She smiled and stood on her toes kissing him softly to reassure him without words that she would be fine.

"I have the necklace you gave me with your chakra and the mark you gave me that will tell you if I'm alright. You shouldn't worry." She whispered when she pulled away. He pulled her into a tight embrace and put his mouth against her ear.

"I know Sakura-chan." He whispered before holding her quietly in his arms. She pulled back and took his hand leading him upstairs where she walked into the closet to dress in her pajamas. He did the same after her and then crawled into bed next to her for some much needed sleep.

"I love you Gaara-kun." She whispered cuddling up next to him.

"I love you too Sakura-chan. He whispered back kissing her soft hair. Shukaku rolled his eyes in Gaara's head and Gaara shut him out as he fell asleep not wanting to have to deal with the annoying demon.

Sakura woke up early to the sound of an alarm clock buzzing softly near her head. She shut it off and looked over at the sleeping form of her husband lying in the bed. She smiled at this thought never in a million years had she ever even imagined him being her husband. It all seemed so surreal. She wanted to stay in the bed but she had to go. She got up quietly and walked over to the closet to get her clothes wanting to let him sleep a little longer. She picked her usual outfit with her katana and her pack that would be strapped around her waist. She wanted to be sure she had everything for the fight. She gathered everything she needed and hopped into the shower not caring that it was freezing at first. She had no time for luxuries when Suna was on the brink of war. She finished quickly using a jutsu Tsunade taught her to dry her hair as she tugged on her clothing before strapping the katana to her back and the pouch around her hips along with her kunai holder on her leg. She looked in the mirror and tied her headband onto her head. It now bore the insignia of Suna as she had had the metal part exchanged when she married Gaara. She fingered it and smiled as she walked back into the bedroom not at all surprised to see Gaara dressed in his crimson coat with a familiar gourd strapped to his back. She smiled and walked over to him.

"I have to say I've missed seeing you wear this." She said gesturing to his clothes he smiled lightly and looked at her.

"The katana suits you. I knew it would." She smiled and nodded before walking out of the bedroom with him right behind. For nutritional purposes Sakura popped a food pill in her mouth in place of breakfast wincing at the taste before handing Gaara one as well. They were a necessity in times of war as much as everyone hated them. She sighed as she glanced at the clock and walked out the door prepared to run across the rooftops to get to the gates. She felt a strong hand around her waist and whirled around to face Gaara as sand wrapped around them once again. They appeared at the base of the wall within the city as Sakura looked at him slightly amused. "The Kaze-hime gets special treatment she deserves it." He said with a slight smirk making Sakura roll her eyes and kiss him lightly. He looked at her when she pulled back and she saw the slight worry in his eyes. He didn't want her to go and she knew it.

"I'll be safe don't worry." He nodded as Sakura walked over to where some Jounin stood lounging around obviously a bit jittery. They all looked at her as she came over turning to Baki who handed her a scroll. She opened it and read it quickly before looking at the Jounin. "Alright let's get moving. We have our target follow me and I will explain on the way. Mask your chakra as soon as we leave." They all nodded and she shot one last glance at Gaara who stood watching her leave through the gates with his turquoise eyes full of worry, coldness, and love. She looked at the Jounins and nodded to them signaling they should start running as she darted off into the endless desert through the gates of Suna. She didn't look back as she and her team of nine other Jounin made their way across the desert. If she had looked back she would have seen a red haired Kazekage watching her leave from the top of the Suna wall.

END OF CHAPTER 52! REVIEWS PLEASE!

Hey everyone Saki here! I got the results back from the hospital and I have Chiari Malformation Type 1. This is a lot better than what I thought I had! I'm rather relieved and now I am on my way to Florida for a lovely vacation! I shall update soon! Thank you all for the concern about my health! Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming! ~Saki and Inner Saki


	48. Chapter 53

Saki- Hey everyone I'm back!

Kakuzu- Hey Koibito can you cash this check?

Saki- Yeah sure I'll do it hold on.

Kakuzu- She owns no Naruto characters or products

Chapter 53

Sakura traveled fast across the sand making great time with her team. They were very well trained and she could tell they were very good Jounin. One had moved up to flank her and was looking at her with expectant eyes.

"We are to disguise ourselves and infiltrate the camp. We must also rendezvous with the anbu squad if possible. All of you must report to me and only me. No one, no matter what, can let slip any information. This is a war if you die take everything with you it's the shinobi way as you all know." The nodded and continued across the desert. Sakura felt a heaviness in her heart and she knew it came with leaving Gaara behind. She shook her head and pushed forward. They were getting closer to the place where the anbu had said they had found the first encampment of rogues. She stopped her team and let them rest for a minute before telling them to change into their henges. They were taking the form of some rogues from Grass that had been captured on their way to join the other rogues. Sakura looked at her newly disguised team and nodded approvingly. The one who had flanked her earlier fell in step next to Sakura who was henged as a female who had been the leader of the small group they had captured. She walked with her head held high and her now yellow eyes holding an air of malice that the woman had had when they captured her. From interrogating her companions they found that she was a cruel woman but was kinder to one of the men in her group that was her younger brother. This is who one of the Jounins had henged himself to be as he now fell into step next to Sakura. They walked further into the desert seeing a group of tents that was their destination. Sakura took a deep breath and they all dimmed their chakra to a level that was found in the untalented rogues they were all henged as. They saw four rogues come walking towards them. Sakura halted her team and let them approach her. The rogues looked at her and then at her group before nodding and bringing them towards the small encampment.

"You must be Soto and Uki from Grass. What took you so long?" One of the men said looking at Sakura. She glared at him and he backed down.

"We were held up by some business. I trust you have no objections as they were worth quite a lot." The rogue's eyes widened and he laughed.

"I didn't know you were a bounty hunter Uki." Sakura glared again and walked past him to where he said their tents were. She walked up to the first one and let the Jounin playing Soto into the tent. He looked at her and she nodded striking up a conversation with him that to anyone else would seem completely harmless and innocent. To them it was all in code that Sakura had told them about before they left.

"So you left your friend the note correct?" (We have to get the information and kill as many as possible before stage two.)

"Yes but she wasn't home so I left it on her door." (Yes we are ready how long do we have?)

"I hope she gets it in the next three days it is important." (We have three days and then we start our second stage.)

"I am confident she will she knows about it." (We'll get it done.)

Sakura nodded to him and let him leave the tent. She walked outside as well to go snoop around telling one of the Jounin guarding her tent that if anyone comes to her tent to say she is busy and must not be disturbed. She then told another to crawl into the tent and change his henge to hers just to be safe. No one would miss a subordinate but they would miss her. She then darted away disappearing quickly as she changed her henge to match fill the place left behind by the Jounin that had henged to be Uki. She slipped quickly into the shadows where the Jounin henged as Soto waited. She nodded and they set off towards the main encampment to gain information so that they could begin phase two of the mission. Sakura looked at the Jounin as they hurried across the desert quickly and quietly to avoid being seen. Even if someone saw them it wouldn't be bad as they were both henged and they could easily say they were delivering a message ton someone Uki knew. They hurried on until they saw the edge of the forest. They saw a few scattered tents and knew that the main encampment was inside the trees. Sakura let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw a single white flower drift towards them. She grabbed it and showed it to the Jounin next to her. He looked at it and nodded as they both followed the direction it came from.

"Twittttt!" A familiar birdcall sounded softly in the trees and Sakura whistled back to it twice. The bird call and the flower were both signs from the anbu and Sakura immediately felt better knowing at least one of them was still safe. She jumped into the trees until she saw a man in a cat mask appear next to them. Sakura unhenged for a moment to show that she was not a traitor and the anbu nodded handing her a scroll and then disappearing. Sakura pocketed the scroll and jumped back down from the trees.

"Was there an intruder in the camp?" The Jounin asked and Sakura shook her head no meaning to him that she had gotten the information they needed from the anbu and could listen in on whatever they needed to safely. Sakura opened the scroll behind a tree and read it quickly before handing it to the Jounin. He read it as well and Sakura placed her hands on it releasing the jutsu on it causing it to turn into a white bird that flew off to give the information to Baki back in Suna. They then began walking into the forest until they came upon a huge encampment that shocked them both. It seemed like all of the rogues had come together to fight Suna. Sakura walked quickly through the camp flanked by the Jounin no longer bothering to hide as they blended right in with the large crowd. They quickly made their way to the largest tent in the middle of the encampment that the anbu said to infiltrate. They looked at the rogues that were going in and they all seemed to be big leaders of large groups of rogues. Sakura looked at the Jounin and he shrugged walking up to the large tent. The guards nodded to him as he walked inside. Apparently Soto and Uki were well known or at least of some sort of importance. Sakura looked and saw that the tent was just a cover up for a large underground building. She walked down the stairs next to the Jounin and nodded to him as they came to a large wooden door from which voices were emanating. Sakura walked in behind the Jounin who opened the door and walked in first as he was the one henged to look like Soto. All of the heads in the room turned to look at them as they walked in the conversation ceasing.

"Ah finally you have joined us Soto. Take a seat." A voice said from behind a screen at "Surely your sister is here as well? She would not miss this for anything from what I heard."

_"Unless she was in Ibiki's prison." _Inner Sakura mumbled making Sakura scowl a little.

"My sister sends her apologies she is tired from the travel and is resting in her tent. She sent me to sit in for her." The Jounin answered calmly and the man behind the screen must have nodded as no more questions were asked.

"Well then let's get started. As you all know we are planning on taking over Suna. It is a strong city and controls all of Wind Country. With this in our power we can take over the other smaller nations and form our own. We will be free to do as we wish and not have to worry about being meaninglessly killed simply for not having allegiance to a village that would hold us back!" A murmur of approval went through the room and Sakura inwardly scowled.

_"We only kill them if we have reason! We never kill them unless they attack us or if it is our mission!" _Inner Sakura nodded and Sakura went back to listening.

"Now we have a plan of action that must be carried out soon. The target is ultimately Suna but there is a new weakness that I know of. I am here to show you." A screen was lowered and a video turned on it as the lights dimmed. Sakura's eyes widened in her henge as she saw a picture of Gaara on the day he became the Kazekage. "Now you all know that Suna has a Kazekage that is more powerful than probably any they have had before. Sabaku no Gaara has a demon. He can control sand and kill people without them ever even getting a scratch on him." The screen changed and there was a picture of Gaara from the Chunnin exams attacking with his sand. "As this is the case it would be fruitless to attack him directly. Fortunately I have a plan." The screen changed once more and Sakura resisted a gasp as she saw herself on the screen. It was the picture that was no doubt listed in the bingo book criminals used as it was her picture that was taken after she became a Jounin. Everyone in the room murmured again and some chuckled or nodded with smirks on their faces. One even leaned over to her and whispered.

"I wouldn't mind capturing and keeping her. That Kazekage has it lucky huh?" Sakura merely nodded holding back the overwhelming urge to kill everyone in the room.

"This is Sabaku no Sakura. Formerly Sakura Haruno from Konoha. As most of you know She has recently married the Kazekage and become the new Kaze-hime. She is talented in the medical field and was a student of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade who is the Hokage in Konoha. What some people also know is that the Hokage is her adopted mother. This poses a problem in my plan of eliminating her to weaken the Kazekage. He seems to be attached to her as he married her after being known as a heartless demon. Thus my idea to kill her making him give up his will to fight. But the problem lies in the Hokage. Since the Kaze-hime is her adopted daughter she would no doubt get involved in the battle and we would not stand a chance against the combined forces of Suna and Konoha with the Legendary Sannin on their side as well as their forces. There is also a chance that the Kazekage will not lose his will to fight and it will simply spur him into using his demon that would wipe us out completely and put us at a huge disadvantage. This is why we will simply capture her and use her as a pawn. She will be a trade. Her for Suna to put it simply. He refuses to surrender and she dies." The murmurs of approval raced through the room and the Jounin henged as Soto looked over at Sakura before nodding slightly. She did some quick hand signs under the table and started on a powerful genjutsu that made everyone in the room fall asleep. She had learned it from when Orochimaru attacked during the Chunnin exams and Tsunade later taught her the move. The people around the room started to close their eyes until everyone except for her and the Jounin next to her were asleep. Sakura wasted no time. She quickly unhenged and unsheathed her katana looking over at the Jounin who nodded. They both ran to the front of the room and pulled back the screen seeing a man slumped over on some pillows. Sakura nodded and the Jounin quickly stabbed him with a kunai making sure it went through his heart. The man's eyes snapped open and he started gasping and coughing his eyes wide as he looked at Sakura.

"You bitch!" Is all he managed before his heart gave out. Sakura sighed and then looked at the Jounin.

"Quickly call the others and start killing them. I don't know how long the jutsu will hold!" The Jounin nodded and Sakura whirled around as a kunai soared past her. She jumped out of the way of another and started fighting the men that had somehow gotten out of the genjutsu. She saw one run up the stairs and she growled making short work of the men left in the room before running after the one that had gotten away. She tore out of the building and stopped quickly.

"This is not good this is not good!" She scowled as she ran through the trees towards the camp where the other Jounin were. She saw the rougues quickly packing up camp and running about gathering weapons. They were no doubt angry about their leader being killed and now were intent on moving in for war right away. Sakura had henged herself again and was furiously trying to find the other Jounin. She heard a birdcall and saw three anbu to her left. "Jounin!" Is all she said as she raced across the trees. They would know to help them out. Stage two was ultimately destroyed as now the only option was to start the counterattack. Seeing that they were the only ones there it was up to her. She rushed to where she saw a familiar face. She jumped down and raced to his side.

"I've sent the message. The rest of them are over here. We've initiated stage two everything's set!" Sakura nodded and followed him through the trees where the other Jounin were waiting. They all looked at her as she landed getting into tense positions. Sakura unhenged and they all calmed down dropping their henges as well. Sakura looked at one who wore a large cloak concealing a mass of exploding tags on kunai. She nodded and the Jounin split into pairs of three all knowing what their jobs were. She was with two Jounin that she had met training with Baki. Taka and Gin were their names and she was glad she knew them. It would be easier to communicate with them since she knew their names. Sakura motioned for them to henge themselves again and she did as well. They all jumped into a group of rogues and they were all surprised to see them.

"Soto, Uki!" They all said surprised to see Sakura and Taka in front of them henged as them. Sakura glared at the rogues and then looked at taka nodding.

"come on we are to take a different route. I need all of you to follow us!" The rogues looked confused but went along with it. Taka and Sakura rushed across the ground leading away from the other rogues. They looked back and saw Gin in disguise nodding to them. They counted the rogues following them and saw there were at least ten. Sakura nodded to Taka as they got even farther away from the other rogues to a wall of rock where a boulder was. They stopped and asked the rogues to line up to prepare for a secret assault using an underground cavern. The rogues complied after one of Sakura's death glares in her disguise as Uki. They lined up and Gin quickly made a barrier of rock that sealed them all in. The rogues all panicked and started yelling that it was a trap as Sakura and Taka unhenged and started attacking the rogues. Sakura was fighting three and Taka was fighting a few more with four already dead from the wall hitting them when Gin made it. The clash of metal on metal seemed to reverberate through the rock enclosure and Sakura was reminded in a flash of the same noise when she fought the lady from the Sound. She shook it off and kicked a rogue into the wall killing him by crushing his lungs. She then proceeded to stab one killing him before starting on the next. Sakura had killed the ones opposing her and a quick glance around the area showed that not many were left.

"Gin left!" She called as he quickly ducked around and killed him quickly with a katana. He nodded to Sakura and she suddenly felt a quick slash of pain on her arm. She whirled around and faced the rogue just as Taka stabbed him. She nodded her thanks and faced on of the few rogues left. She fought him getting only a few scratches and cuts nothing that she bothered with or had the luxury to be able to heal. Suddenly the hot spray of warm blood hit her back and she turned quickly to see a rogue staring at her blankly before he fell over with a kunai in his back. He looked at Taka who nodded and she thanked him. Gin made his rock cover disappear and the light streamed in making them blink and look around at the rogues that lay dead on the ground. They heard a huge bang and knew that phase two was officially finished. Now all they had to do was wait for Suna to come and help them. As Sakura was spotted by a few more rogues that headed their way she wished this more than ever.

"Kazekage-sama! The Kaze-hime killed the leader and says they are all now moving towards Suna! She requests backup phase two is complete!" Gaara's head snapped up and he rushed out of his office to the wall where Baki was already deploying the troops. Baki saw him walking up to him with a look of coldness that Baki had been used to the entire time he trained him.

"Gaara you are with the anbu and Temari and Kankuro they are down there." He pointed to where they stood in their war gear with Kankuro and his scrolls on his back along with Temari and her fan. He nodded and teleported to them more than ready to fight.

"Kazekage-sama we are ready to go when you are." Gaara nodded and they set off with the anbu running alongside Kankuro and Temari. Gaara was at the front riding his sand. He saw other groups setting off as well ready to fight. Straight ahead of them was a large dust cloud that he knew was the rogues making their way towards Suna.

"Get ready Temari, Kankuro, I'm going to teleport as soon as I can and get to Sakura. The anbu will follow me and some will stay with you. Do what you can and don't under any circumstances, allow them to get into Suna." They all nodded and Gaara motioned to thew anbu to follow him. They all stopped and waited for the rogues to come to them. Soon enough they heard the clashes of fighting coming from a group further away and they all knew it had begun officially.

"Kazekage-sama we can get past them without confrontation if we leave now." An anbu said standing near Gaara. He nodded and looked at Temari and Kankuro.

"Go on Gaara. You need to find Sakura and help her. She's important to everyone." He nodded as Temari spoke and teleported with some of the anbu leaving them facing a small group of rogues that had headed their way.

"Here we go." Kankuro said with a grin as he pulled out his puppets ready now more than ever to fight. The first rogues were down in seconds as they faced off against the anbu being no match for them. Temari hit one with her fan and forced him into an anbu who killed him swiftly.

Gaara teleported into the forest as some more troops of rogues rushed past. He stood against a tree and waited for them to pass under him and the anbu around him.

"I need you to find the Kaze-hime and her group quickly. If you find her radio me or get her to me. I'm counting on you." They nodded and five dismissed leaving two with Gaara. "We're going to look where her last message came from. That may be where we find her." The anbu nodded and set off with their Kazekage and his sand. Gaara's eyes were cold and full of bloodlust that hadn't been there since he had taken the position as Kazekage. He wanted to kill those rogues and get them away from his city and his wife. In that fleeting moment he felt something that he could only describe as a sudden pull. He was confused for a moment until Shukaku growled in the back of his mind.

_"Kid follow it. It'll lead you to her your mating mark assures that you will always be drawn to her in a time of need. She needs you kid. She's not dead if you're feeling that pull but she might be hurt or in need of you." _He nodded and stopped making the anbu surprised.

"What is it Kazekage-sama? Enemy?" He shook his head and glared straight ahead where he felt the slight pull.

"No our Kaze-hime." He started off again in the direction he felt the pull and pushed forward on his sand with the anbu struggling to keep up. He felt another pull that seemed to make his kanji on his head sting a little and he knew he was very close. Suddenly he shot up in the air with his sand and spotted what appeared to be a huge mass of blood and in it bodies opf rogues. He dove back down to the ground and the anbu followed him and immediately started looking at the bodies.

"Three are ours! They're all Jounin." An anbu called as they scanned the bodies. Gaara nodded and the anbu picked up the three bodies and put a scroll on top of them doing a quick jutsu that sealed them in the scroll to be taken back to Suna and rightfully buried. Gaara looked around for pink hair and saw none. He heard a huge crash and the ground shook with tremors. He looked at the anbu and nodded.

"That might be the Kaze-hime. Be alert and help her at all costs." They nodded and rushed to where they heard another loud bang. They soon came to a clearing littered with craters and dead enemy rogues alongside countless scattered trees and debris. There were a few more sand shinobi and in the far corner they saw a few figures gathered around a person lying on the ground. They saw the group lift up the person and start to walk away. With a certain pink haired medic splattered in red and a leg wrapped in a bandage soaked in blood. She was healing the shinobi with green chakra filled hands and dropped them as the two shinobi carrying him rushed away to get him to Suna. Gaara's heart filled with relief as he walked over to her quickly across the clearing. She turned and saw him with the anbu and her green eyes seemed to light up.

"Gaara! Thank goodness you're here! We need help in the forest there have been rogues coming this way and we've killed so many but there still seem to be more coming around the west side of the forest. So far my count is six dead sand shinobi on our side and about fifty to seventy dead in the forest alone. Taka and the others left after we killed the leader they needed help here so I came…" She was cut off as Gaara wrapped sand around her waist and nodded to the anbu. They all transported back to the place they said they would meet where the other anbu were waiting.

"You are staying with me. I should have had you stay in the hospital." He said as he looked at her. She looked up at him her clothes bloody from small cuts on her arms and her face framed in her pink hair as his arm steadied her waist on the sand.

"Gaara I helped and I can handle myself I don't have any serious injuries and I can fight. We should go help Temari and Kankuro we need to. I can't have my sister and brother-in-law outdoing me now can I?" She smiled and Gaara sighed.

"Ok we'll go." He nodded to the anbu who nodded back before transporting at the same time Gaara and Sakura did. Sakura was placed on the ground and looked out to see fights going on between the sand shinobi and the rogues. She looked at Gaara and squeezed his hand before running to the aid of some shinobi nearby that were injured and lying on the ground. Gaara watched her go and then turned his attention to the fights going on nearby where people were losing or in extreme danger. They all stopped fighting hearing a huge noise Gaara looked in the direction the noise came from and saw a massive bird heading towards Suna. He looked over at Sakura seeing her glance at the bird and then begin ordering people to move the wounded to Suna as quickly as they could she herself fighting a rogue at the time. He wasted no time getting on his sand and flying in front of the bird. The bird stopped and screamed at him as its rider laughed and glared down at him.

"How nice to meet you Kazekage. I was looking forward to seeing you in action. I'm afraid your little wife killed my father and I am looking to return the favor. Oh don't worry I won't touch her, yet. No I plan on killing you first then taking Suna and having some fun with your dear little wife. She's a medic isn't she? Well then I will expect great things from her and her amazing strength I hear so much about. Then maybe she'll last a little longer than the last one hm?" He chuckled and Gaara glared at him hate, anger, and the full intent to kill shown in his eyes.

"I will not let you touch Suna or lay a finger on my wife. It's my city and as long as I'm breathing it will be." The man on the bird laughed again and Gaara scowled.

"We'll see Kazekage." Just then a loud bang went off and out of the corner of his eye Gaara saw a small explosion in the desert and some shinobi go flying. He was almost sure Sakura had been there and hoped against all hope that she wasn't anymore.

"You will be stopped at all costs. As I said before I will not let you get to Suna or its people as long as I am breathing." The man looked at him and smirked.

"Then let us begin Kazekage." He shot left on his bird and made it dive towards Gaara. Gaara moved quickly dodging it and sending out a sand attack that wrapped around the bird's wings making it crash to the ground before it broke through the bonds and flew back up to lunge at him again. Its master sent off a powerful hit with a kunai with exploding tags attached all over it. Gaara's sand shield went up and stopped the attack creating a massive blast that blew sand all around them. The shield dropped and Gaara raised his hands before shooting out an arm sending massive fragments of hardened sand towards the bird. One hit it and it screamed before diving towards him with one or the slabs in its side. He sent up a wall of sand that the bird sunk its claws into but to no avail. Gaara stood behind the shield on his sand with the same hardened look that he had while fighting the Akatsuki. The bird screamed and struggled to pull out its claws. Gaara then made his sand move to wrap around the birds legs making it scream in fear and struggle to get away while its master watched from its back with an angry expression on his face. Gaara closed his fist and said the words he had uttered many times before.

"Desert funeral." The sand contracted around the birds legs crushing it and making the bird scream out louder than before as it disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The man fell to the ground and glared at Gaara who was still on his sand glaring down at him.

"If you think that's all I have you're wrong! Thorn clone jutsu!" He made a hand sign as twenty clones of thorns appeared and jumped up at Gaara. He hit the first with his sand and kept battling but was struggling as they latched onto the sand and he couldn't move it. He was becoming furious with this rogue and it was beginning to show.

"I'm done playing I'm finishing this." More of his sand shot out and wrapped around the rogue as he was starting to perform another jutsu. He struggled but Gaara merely tightened his hold as the clones all disappeared falling to the ground in broken clumps of thorns before disappearing.

"Wha-what! How could I lose?" He hissed angrily struggling as Gaara came down from his sand.

"You chose to try and take over Suna that's why." The man snarled at him and he walked closer putting his hand around the man's neck forcing it back as his body was immobilized by the sand. "And you chose to go against me." He said as he looked at the man his eyes full of hatred and anger. He tightened his hold on the man's neck and his sand tightened as well as the man gasped and coughed up blood. Gaara tightened it even more and heard the snaps of breaking bones before he felt the man's breath leave his body. He released his sand and dropped the man's body before turning to look at the fight around him. The rogues that had seen their battle looked at him terrified before running back into the forest no doubt to leave. He looked over to where the blast site was and saw that there were already Jounin moving people towards Suna and it looked like those who weren't hurt were helping as well. He scanned it desperately for pink hair but saw none.

"Gaara!" He heard a familiar voice and turned to see Kankuro running towards him. "Gaara they're retreating!" His eyes widened and he looked around seeing rogues looking suddenly terrified as well as confused before seeing the sand ninja attacking them and becoming completely terrified as they turned and ran away into the forest dropping their weapons and running as fast as they could leaving behind confused but happy sand ninja. Gaara was confused and flew into the air on his sand looking around and seeing the same thing happening all across the desert. There was a huge group of rogues surrounded by sand ninja and he flew over to them quickly before dropping down.

"Kazekage-sama!" Some said as they moved aside to let him through to where the rogues were cowering.

"Please spare us! We were under a genjutsu! We didn't know what we were doing! None of us want this! We are happy working alone and living alongside nations like Suna!" One of the rogues begged putting his head against the sand as the others nodded and did the same. Gaara looked at them and realized that they must have been telling the truth.

"Get up and never come back to here. If I ever see you here again I won't hesitate to kill you all." He said sternly and the rogues looked at them frightened before nodding and promising and then rushing off into the forest.

"Gaara how did the genjutsu release?" Kankuro said appearing at his side as he walked away leaving the Jounin to begin clean up as shouts of triumph rang across the desert.

"I killed the leader's son who was no doubt doing it. Let's get back to Suna. Where's Temari?" He asked and Kankuro shrugged.

"She left in the middle of the fight to go and help some Jounin bringing wounded back to Suna." Gaara nodded and they both started back to Suna along with Jounin walking that were injured slightly or being supported by others along with some carrying the dead or injured across the desert to where Suna lay. It took a while and Gaara refused to ride his sand as the other all walked. They all sighed in relief and sped up a little as the gates of Suna came into view along with the white medical tents stationed right through the gates. Gaara hoped that Sakura was there tending the wounded and sighed as he saw a familiar blonde rushing towards them.

"Kankuro, Gaara! Thank Kami you're alright!" She enveloped them both in a hug that Gaara wouldn't have minded if he was not looking for Sakura.

"Temari where's Sakura?" She looked at him and blinked a confused expression on her face.

"I don't know she hasn't come back yet?" Gaara looked at her a pained and panicked feeling filling him.

"I'm going to find her." He turned and Temari looked at him before putting out her hand to stop him but he had already disappeared into a flurry of sand.

"Come on Temari we should look for her here see if anyone's seen her." Kankuro said and she nodded turning and following him to the medical tent.

END OF CHAPTER 53! REVIEWS PLEASE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOSTBIRD FOR EVERY ONE OF YOUR REVIEWS AND THANKS TO EVERYONE ELSE THAT REVIEWS AS WELL! 3


	49. Chapter 54

Saki- Hidan can you please stop smashing my door with your scythe I unlocked it yesterday for Kakuzu and I haven't locked it since.

Hidan- WHAT THE HELL! I'VE BEEN HERE FOR HOURS!

Saki- Well if you knocked you could've gotten in sooner and spared my door.

Hidan- Oh. Hey Tobi's all worried so tell me what's up so I can get him to shut up.

Saki- I'll tell you everyone at the same time Hidan. I don't own anything by the way.

Chapter 54

Gaara appeared near the blast site where there were a few Jounin working on bringing back the dead. One noticed him and walked over.

"Kazekage-sama she's not here. I don't know where she is." He looked at the Jounin and recognized him as one of Baki's friends.

"Taka do you know if anyone has seen her?" He asked looking at him. Taka shook his head.

"I don't think anyone's seen her since after the blast. I'm sorry I can't be of more help Kazekage-sama. I know you don't want to look there but try the hospital that would be my guess as to where she would be." He gave Gaara a small pitying smile with true regret and sadness on his face as he shook his head and went back to helping move people injured or dead to Suna. Gaara stood there for a moment and then disappeared a feeling of dread overcoming him.

"Temari!" He called as soon as he appeared in front of the hospital. She turned and saw him rushing towards her.

"Gaara! What are you doing here? I thought you were at the blast site looking for Sakura." She looked confused as he shook his head.

"She's most likely here she wasn't there and nobody knew where she went." Temari nodded and they walked into the hospital that was full of shinobi being rushed to and fro by nurses and doctors some in serious condition and others not. Gaara didn't see Sakura and walked up to the secretary. When she saw him she became wide eyed.

"Kazekage-sama I think I saw the Kaze-hime go come in and go down there but I don't know…" He rushed away leaving Temari calling after him.

"Gaara wait!" She cursed and rushed after him. He turned a corner and all he could think was that she was fine.

"Come on Sakura you're stronger than that I know you are." He froze in his tracks as he saw a pink haired medic stumbling down the hall until she fell over onto the ground. He rushed to her side and saw she was covered in blood and burned from the blast. She was breathing and to him that is all that mattered. "We need a medic here now!" He yelled down the hall as Temari caught up to him and gasped as she saw Sakura on the ground.

"Oh my gosh Sakura! Medic come on we need a medic here now the Kaze-hime's hurt!" Gaara gently picked her upper body up and placed it on his lap looking at her dirt covered clothing and features along with her leg wrapped in a bloody bandage and her arms and legs covered in small cuts along with her left arm burned along with her left leg. He heard rushed footsteps and medics came around the corner with Temari who had gone to get them. They rushed to Sakura and gently put her on a gurney before rushing her to a treatment room leaving Gaara and Temari to wait. Temari put Gaara on a bench in the corridor and looked at him.

"She's fine Gaara you know that." He nodded and sighed.

"I've never felt like this before. Worry is what it's called I know that. It's just, I haven't ever felt it this badly before. It's because she's my wife and I love her that's why." Temari looked at him and nodded.

"I'd feel the same way if I was in this position. I think anyone would." Gaara looked at her and nodded before walking down the hall as the nurses finished healing Sakura.

"Gaara-kun! You're alright!" she said with some slight tears in her eyes. He sat next to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her as she clung onto him.

'I'm fine and I should be saying that to you. Did you get hit by the blast?" She nodded and looked at him.

"I was helping them when I felt a huge explosion. Luckily I was on the outskirts of it. I'm completely healed now just bloody looking. I won't hear of me staying in bed even if I need to get a wheelchair and wheel myself around I'm getting up." Gaara looked at her in alarm as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

"Sakura!" She looked at him as he put out his arm to steady her.

"Gaara-kun thanks for the support." She smiled and he sighed exasperated. He had his arm around her waist to steady her as they walked out into the hall bloody and dirty. He got her home and there were lots of hugs from Kankuro and Temari as they ate a quick dinner and fell asleep early as everyone was exhausted from fighting. Sakura was the first one up the next day and Gaara followed her soon after chastising her for cooking breakfast as she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Gaara you know I won't listen when I know I'm completely fine." He looked at her slightly amused as she handed him a bowl of miso soup and some rice. He took it and sat at the counter as she ate hers absentmindedly.

"Thinking about something?" He said looking at her making her smile.

"I'm thinking about all of the paperwork you and I are going to have to do since this whole thing is over." He smiled and she laughed a little.

"I'll be like Shishou and have the nurses do most of it." She grinned and he smiled at her.

"That is what I do most of the time. I just sign things that people tell me to sign if I know what they are and save myself the trouble by getting Matsuri to do most of it along with Baki and some of the others." She smiled and took his bowl as he finished.

"I have to get going and you do too. No doubt these next few days will be insanely busy. I can't believe that was all over so quickly." He nodded and sighed as she kissed his cheek.

"Yeah it was over quick. I'm glad though. I know they will but then I promise we'll have a real honeymoon." Sakura looked at him a little shocked.

"Gaara we already had our honeymoon." He shook his head.

"I mean a honeymoon away from Suna that doesn't last a day." She smiled and nodded.

"I'll enjoy that." He smiled and put his arm around her waist as they walked outside transporting her to the hospital before leaving again.

The next few weeks were filled with paperwork and late nights for both Gaara and Sakura. It wasn't uncommon to see the pink haired medic trudging home around midnight looking completely exhausted. There were even a few nights when both never made it home as they fell asleep in their offices and didn't see each other until the next night. The nights the two did make it home and into their bed they smiled at each other and fell asleep in each other's arms completely exhausted. It was a nice sight to see as Temari had come to check on them and make sure they were alright on a few occasions. Somehow seeing Sakura curled up against her brother with his arms around her and both breathing softly made her heart ache for someone's company and swell with love for her brother and his wife. Everyone in Suna knew Sakura and everyone loved her. She was kind to all and acted like a normal person while she was off duty. She never once shunned people or brushed them off like civilians were no better than her. She talked to everyone that talked to her. All of the children in the village loved her as well and always smiled when she said hello to them.

"I am so happy! I finished all of my paperwork and everything is back to normal!" Sakura said happily as she fell onto the couch when she got home one day rather early. Gaara was surprised as he walked in the door and saw Sakura on the couch smiling as she read a book.

"Did you finish all of your paperwork?" He asked as she smiled and nodded.

"Yes I did and from the looks of it you did as well." She said smiling. He smirked and walked over sitting next to her as she crawled into his lap looking up at him.

"I did better, much, much, better. I cleared everything for the next week for our honeymoon." Sakura looked at him with shocked and happy green eyes.

"Gaara!" She squealed before practically tackling him onto his back on the couch giggling and kissing him full force. His turquoise eyes were wide as he looked at the pink haired kunoichi kissing his jawline.

"Uh Sakura-chan?" He said hesitantly his voice a little strained.

"Hmm? What is it Gaara-kun?" She asked innocently as she looked up at him her big emerald eyes questioning. He looked at her and immediately cursed himself for doing so.

_"Damn it why does she have to be such a tease without knowing it! She's practically grinding against me!"_ He thought as he looked at her as she waited for an answer. She was straddling him and seemed to not even comprehend anything. "You might want to move." He said in a strained voice almost as if he was in pain.

"But why?" She pouted as she wiggled a little her bottom lip stuck out at him in an incredibly sexy manner. All of his control snapped right there. He grabbed a hold of her bottom and made her gasp as he sat up and captured her lips in a passionate kiss making her moan as his tongue battled with hers for dominance. He pulled back and flipped them over so she was on the bottom as he kissed along her neck making her squirm under him.

"You are such a tease and you don't even seem to know it." He crooned as he sucked on her mark making her arch suddenly and gasp. "I'm paying you back for every time I saw you in your nurse's outfit. You were so unbelievably sexy and such a tease. The past few weeks even if you were dead tired it was painful not to be able to do this." He said as he captured her lips once more and began to pull down the zipper on her top. She moaned again and he pulled it down completely leaving her in her silky black bra with lace edges; her shirt hanging loosely around her shoulders. He smirked when he saw it and she blushed.

"I'm doing the laundry it was the only one I had." She said and he chuckled.

"No need to defend yourself blossom. You certainly gain my approval. I like it but you know what?" He said breathing hot air onto her ear making her shudder.

"W-What?" She said shaking under him.

"I'd like it better off you." He finished in a whisper that was followed by a deep predator growl that sent her blood aflame. As he was about to fully divulge her of her bra they both felt familiar chakra walking up the path. Gaara groaned and Sakura sighed.

_"KANKURO! WORST TIMING EVER! LET ME AT HIM LET ME AT HIM!"_ Inner Sakura was screaming as she tried to take over Sakura but was pushed out. Gaara was feeling the same and hoped that his brother would leave him alone and go to his own house for once. No such luck as he continued towards their door. That was it. Gaara flared his chakra and leaned down to nip Sakura's mark making hers flare as well. She gasped as their combined chakra flared making Kankuro freeze in his tracks outside. He had felt Gaara's sudden surge of angry and annoyed chakra forcing him back then Sakura's right after only hers was frustrated. Then theirs combined into something that made Kankuro fear for his life as he turned and ran to his house not wanting to disturb them suddenly. Gaara looked down at Sakura with a smirk and she gave him a raised eyebrow with a smile. He then leaned down and kissed her softly before moving with butterfly kisses to her bra which he unclasped and threw to the ground. He was not going to let the fact that Kankuro had interrupted them take away his fun.

_"No."_ He thought as he growled against her skin making her shudder again. _"He will not interrupt me. Not now."_ He looked at her hungrily his eyes showing it as Sakura looked up at him with the same hunger in her emerald eyes deepened to a deep green glazed with lust.

Kankuro sat in his house wondering if Sakura and Gaara were fighting. "No they wouldn't be fighting. They are much too in tune and in love for that. Maybe something happened that made them angry about something. Maybe it was me." He said talking to himself worrying about his younger brother and his pink haired wife. He decided to check on them and stood up walking towards the door before stopping. "I'll just walk through Temari's house she doesn't care and it's faster." He walked over to the door and through the hallway to her house walking through it to the other door leading to a longer hallway that led to Gaara and Sakura's house. He walked over to their door and was going to open it as he heard a loud cry that froze him in his tracks.

"G-GAARA!" He heard Sakura cry out and at the same time Gaara's voice mixing with hers.

"SAKURA!" Then silence with heavy breathing. Kankuro's face went bright red as he raced back to his house fending off a nosebleed. He knew if he ever said anything about it he'd face the wrath of his brother and, even worse, his wife. Kankuro shook his head and decided then would be a great time to go and find Temari or go train.

Back in Sakura and Gaara's house the couple lay on the couch with Sakura resting on top of him her breath coming in quiet pants. She looked up at Gaara from her position on his chest and smiled. He looked at her his arms lazily holding her.

"What is it?" He asked and she smiled looking at him coyly.

"Oh I was just wondering when we leave for our honeymoon." He looked at her and smirked.

"Well we'd better pack soon. We leave tomorrow." He said casually as Sakura looked at him her emerald eyes sparking with a little bit of panic.

"What? Come on Gaara! We need to go pack and get cleaned up!" She jumped up and Gaara looked at her chuckling as she grabbed her discarded clothes throwing his towards him as he caught them. She then proceeded to look over her shoulder at him and smiled in a come-and-get-me way before leaving the room with a small giggle as she raced upstairs. He smirked and Shukaku chuckled deeply.

_"See I told you. You're glad I got you into this now aren't you kid. Hehe come on let's go get our Kunoichi." _Gaara agreed and followed her up the stairs where he heard the shower already running. She was rubbing shampoo into her hair when he stepped into the shower and replaced her hands with his making her smile.

"I thought we agreed I'd do this." He said simply as he massaged the shampoo into her hair. She hummed happily and he smiled as he let her rinse her hair before she turned and he bent his head so she could wash his. He rinsed it and looked at her face from behind dark red locks clinging to his face. She smiled and he did as well before they finished up their shower and stepped out grabbing fluffy white towels. Sakura wrapped hers around herself and walked into the large closet grabbing clothes to change into before throwing clothes she was planning on taking on the honeymoon into a bag. Gaara did the same and then watched as Sakura carefully folded her clothing before stowing it in her bag. She looked up at him as he watched her and smiled before turning back to her work.

"You find it funny that I am so careful with my packing Gaara-kun?" She said and he smirked.

"Actually I find it cute that you are so methodical and careful with everything. You are indeed a medic true to your actions and your heart." She smiled and blushed a little as she finished packing and stowed the bag in a scroll setting it next to Gaara's.

"Where are we going for our honeymoon Gaara-kun?" She said sitting next to him on the bed with a smile. He looked at her and smirked again.

"I won't tell you until we get there it will spoil the surprise. But I will tell you we will be spending two days in Konoha." Sakura smiled.

"It will be nice to see Konoha again. I'm afraid I haven't been in touch with anyone. It's been four months since I moved out and I'm sure everyone thinks I've abandoned them. Especially Naruto. I got a letter from him but I never replied I have been so busy! Here I have it right here." She stood up and grabbed a white envelope from the table addressed to her in Naruto's sloppy handwriting.

_Dear Sakura-chan,_

_It's so boring without you here! Everyone misses you so much! Granny Tsunade cried for three days straight and so did Ino. She's been all depressed and told me she was glad you are married and that she was coming to see you soon. I'm coming there as well Sakura-chan! As soon as I get the chance! I know things have been busy we all heard about the trouble with the rogues and hope you guys are alright. Shikamaru asked me to tell you to say hello to Temari for him. Actually he said to say hello to Kankuro and Gaara as well but everyone knows he meant Temari. I wish he would just marry her already seriously it's annoying. _

_But speaking of couples I thought I should tell you that Neji finally plucked up the courage and asked Tenten out on a date! I think that's a great thing for him maybe now he won't be so much of an ass. Ah I forgot to say that I asked Hinata on a date as well. I figured since she's such a nice girl I should. She's been kind of sad since you left but then again everyone has. Please say you're coming to visit soon! I hope you are! We all miss you Sakura-chan!_

_Love, Naruto_

Gaara read it and smiled. "Well we'll see him in a day or two." She smiled back and took his hand leading him downstairs where she sat on the soft couch sinking into the cushions and flicking on the television. She changed it to the shinobi news channel and typed in her code as the news anchor came on talking about an attack on a family in Mist but Sakura just shook her head and shut it off. There was always something going on in Mist and most people paid it no mind. Mist was a cruel and sadistic place and everyone knew it. They never bothered with it and the news must be nonexistent if the news anchor was reduced to reporting on it.

"Hey Gaara what if we left tonight. I mean it would be safer if we traveled alone and we don't have to worry. I mean we're packed and it would be faster. We'll leave a note for Temari and Kankuro and tell them we're leaving." Sakura looked at Gaara and he gave her a questioning look.

"I'm sure we could. I have everything cleared and I was planning on traveling with you alone anyways. It is safer especially now. I suppose we could leave but why so sudden? Why not wait until tomorrow Sakura-chan? We have time." Gaara said tracing her jaw with his finger. She blushed a little and looked down.

"Well I wanted to get to our honeymoon faster to be honest it sounds really nice and I need a break." Gaara chuckled and looked at her as she looked up at him with her big emerald eyes.

"Alright we can leave today. I'll leave Temari and Kankuro a note you can write it and I'll grab our traveling cloaks and our packs with our weapons and clothes." She nodded and stood as Gaara went to get their supplies walking up the large mahogany staircase as Sakura walked into the kitchen. She grabbed a pad of paper that was lying on the counter and jotted down two quick notes before walking out into the hot Suna sun and over to their doors sticking a note on each. She never really paid attention to the fact that their houses were connected it was also separate and the houses were plenty large for them as well as about ten other people to live in comfortably. She smiled as she walked back to her house and saw Gaara standing in the hall with her hip pouch and her cloak. He was wearing his usual clothing with the gourd strapped on his back. He looked at Sakura and she melted remembering the boy that she first met before the Chunnin exams. The one that was so hard and broken and the man that stood in front of her now. They were completely different but yet the same. She was sure that she loved him and always would and that moment reinforced it. He looked at her his eyes questioning as she shook her head and smiled at him as he pulled her close to his chest as the familiar sand wrapped around them enveloping them in a comfortable feeling as they disappeared from the street leaving nothing behind. Sakura closed her eyes never liking the split second that she felt the darkness around her until she felt them moving forward at a steady pace.

"We're out of Suna now. Do you feel alright Sakura? You look a bit nervous." Gaara said looking worriedly at Sakura who looked down and realized just how very high up they were. She wasn't afraid of heights but still it was unnerving to be riding on moving sand that seemed, at times, so very unstable.

"I'm fine Gaara just a little tired is all." Gaara looked at her with a questioning look as he held onto her waist pulling her closer to him. He took his gourd off of his back and supported it against him with his sand. She looked at him perplexed as he did this.

"Climb onto my back like you did last time. We'll move faster and you won't have to look at the ground." He said calmly making her look at him a light blush on her cheeks as he smirked lightly at her catching her uneasiness on the sand right away. She obliged climbing onto his back and nestling her head on his shoulder taking in his scent. She smiled contently at the wonderful smell of sand and sun that seemed to cling to him along with his own distinguishable scent. She smiled and closed her eyes enjoying the warmth of being so close to him and the warm breeze that blew her hair around her face as they moved quickly through the air. Gaara looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her smiling happily with her eyes closed her head resting on his shoulder. She was like an angel. A pink haired angel that was given to him to hold onto forever and call his own. He realized that he had never truly known happiness until he met her and fell in love. To think he owed it all to a hormonal badger that lived in his head. Shukaku chuckled at this and Gaara ignored him focusing on speeding up his sand seeing the forest not too far away. He was determined to get to Konoha in two days instead of three. They traveled in silence for a long time as they passed into the forest and felt some slightly cooler air hit them. He looked at Sakura and she smiled.

"It's still winter in Konoha it will be strange feeling the cold air when I was just wearing a no sleeved tee shirt and a skirt." He smiled at her as she giggled her face radiating warmth. Gaara continued on as she held onto him her warmth and his being shared keeping both comfortably warm as the temperature continued to drop. Sakura knew they were close to Konoha as the temperature seemed to level and it was now pitch black out. Apparently Gaara had sped up his sand as much as he wanted to and they were now traveling faster than a shinobi moving across branches could. Sakura snickered as she thought of something suddenly.

_"We're moving faster than Kakashi-sensei when he finds out there's a new porn book on sale."_ Gaara looked at her with a questioning look as his wife suddenly burst into hysterics laughing so hard her whole body was shaking making him shake as well as she was still on his back. He was highly amused by her laugh as she was now wiping tears from her eyes as she started to calm down only giggling now.

"What was that for?" He questioned her and she smiled.

"I just thought of something funny. I was thinking about how fast we are moving and I suddenly thought about something funny I compared our speed to. We're moving faster than Kakashi-sensei when he finds out there's a new porn book on sale." Gaara looked at her with a highly amused expression and chuckled shaking his head as he looked at his wife again.

"You never cease to amuse me Sakura." She blushed a little and he continued on with a small smile on both of their faces. It was near midnight before they stopped and Sakura jumped off of Gaara's back stretching her muscles and looking over at Gaara who pulled out a scroll which he opened making a seal which released the large sleeping bag it contained. Sakura was familiar with these sleeping bags meant for two people as she had to use them sometimes on missions to snow country where it was cold year round. They were used to conserve body heat between people and kept them warm on many occasions most ending up with Naruto having injuries caused by a violated feeling Sakura. This occasion was very different as Gaara laid it on the ground and Sakura walked over taking off her shoes and her weapon pouches and hip bag laying them on the ground and crawling into the sleeping bag exhausted from the journey even though she did nothing. Gaara made a sand hut around them and took off his gourd and pack as well setting them next to Sakura's before removing his shoes. He crawled into the sleeping bag next to Sakura and opened his arms as she slid into them naturally. It was a routine now for both of them and they were so accustomed to it, it was second nature to them. He rested his chin on her head and she curled up in his arms spooning him. He smiled and closed his eyes hoping to catch some sleep before they left the next morning. She was already asleep in his arms.

"Sakura-chan wake up." His calm voice was gently calling to her but she kept her eyes closed tight making a small frown as she rolled over in the sleeping bag.

"Ne, five more minutes." She mumbled as Gaara chuckled amused as always at her resistance to waking up. He sighed and took down the sand hut sending the sunlight over them suddenly watching with a smirk as Sakura's face contorted into a scowl and she covered her face in an attempt to shut out the light. "Alright I'm getting up." She mumbled sitting up and stretching with her eyes closed. Gaara chuckled and leaned over placing a kiss on her cheek. She smiled and opened her emerald eyes yawning as she stood up and placed the scroll on the sleeping bag sealing it back inside. She slid on her shoes and put back on her packs and weapon holders before sighing and looking at Gaara who had his gourd next to him suspended by sand. Sakura walked over to him and jumped lightly onto his back wrapping her arms around his neck pulling her face next to his and smiling along with him. She felt them lifting in the air and she felt him support her legs like he did yesterday as they set off once again. After a few hours of riding on the sand, stopping only for short breaks, they were very close to Konoha. It wasn't as cold as the last time they were there being that it was March. Sakura smiled as she looked at Gaara who glanced at her his turquoise eyes meeting her emerald ones making them both remembering another reason the other was so special to them. Sakura beamed and Gaara smiled back as she giggled and kissed his cheek like a lovey-dovey school girl. He smirked as Sakura put her head back on his shoulder as the trees began to thin and Sakura held her breath as they came out into the grassy land before Konoha's tall red gates. She looked at Gaara and he smiled not letting her get off of his back.

"Gaara-kun you can put me down." He smirked and shook his head looking straight ahead.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan I don't want to yet. I would prefer it if you stayed where you are." She rolled her eyes but obliged putting her head back on his shoulder as he smirked triumphantly and continued riding his sand to the open gates of Konoha. In their stand next to the gates Kotetsu was sleeping and Izumo was lazily doing a crossword. He saw a bright flash of pink out of the corner of his eye and his head shot up as he nudged Kotetsu. He woke up and looked at Izumo who just pointed to someone who had just flew through the gates.

"Kotetsu, Izumo it is good to see you we are here for a few days. No need to tell the Hokage she'll find out in a little while." Kotetsu and Izumo merely stared at the Kazekage and the slightly blushing medic on his back riding piggyback style.

"Hey Kotetsu, Izumo! Nice to see you! We have some catching up to do! No doubt Ino will want to have a party for me make sure you're there!" She smiled and waved as Gaara flew them away. Sakura was still blushing and Gaara chuckled.

"Now then my blossom let's go see your mother." He smirked again and they flew towards the Hokage building over top of the rooftops. Below them Naruto was walking down the street to the post office hoping he got a letter from Sakura-chan. He had heard about the attack on Suna and was worried about her. He had looked up sighing and swore he saw a flash of red and pink pass by through the air. He rubbed his eyes and looked again but seeing nothing continued on sad.

"Man I miss Sakura-chan so much my eyes are making me think her and Gaara are here." He shook his head and walked into the post office.

"Gaara I think I just saw Naruto." Sakura said looking back over her shoulder but, upon not seeing her blonde haired friend, shook her head. "Never mind." Gaara nodded and hovered in front of Tsunade's window which was open. She was currently standing up near the bookshelf across the room. The first thing Sakura noticed was the picture on her desk of her and Gaara at their first wedding smiling together and another of her in her medic uniform next to Shizune and Tsunade after her first examination. They were all so happy and Sakura looked relieved as she smiled into the camera. Sakura looked at Gaara and he smiled seeing the photos as well as he stepped into the room with her still on his back. They saw Tsunade's shoulders move a little as she turned around with her eyes closed.

"I swear Naruto use the door like a normal pers.." She froze as her eyes opened and she saw her daughter and her daughter's husband standing there with Sakura on his back smiling as they looked at her surprised expression. Now Tsunade is never one to squeal and had only done so on two occasions before this. Now she had done it on three occasions as she squealed loud enough to scare the birds off of the trees and for Kotetsu and Izumo to hear it making them smirk knowing that Sakura had arrived at the Hokage tower. Tsunade rushed forward as Sakura jumped off of Gaara's back and grabbed Sakura into a huge hug with tears in her eyes. "Oh Sakura! I had no idea you were coming! I'm so happy to see you!" She was practically crying as Gaara watched the heartwarming scene as Tsunade's gaze turned to him. "Gaara! It is so good to see you as well!" She pulled him into a hug as well which he stiffly returned unsure how to act as he was not used to anyone but Sakura hugging him.

"It is nice to see you as well Tsunade." She pulled back as Sakura took Gaara's hand and they looked at her.

"What are you doing here! I had no idea you were coming!" She looked at them and Sakura blushed a little.

"We're going on our honeymoon. We never got the chance to what with me being the head medical director and Gaara being the Kazekage. We had a hard time getting away but we did and here we are! We're on our way to somewhere as he won't tell me!" She smiled at Gaara and he looked at her with a small smile. Tsunade looked at them with a huge smile on her face as loud footsteps were heard before the door busted open.

"Tsunade-sama we heard a shout is something the matter?" A familiar face stood in the door frame as brown eyes fell onto emerald and turquoise ones. Shikamaru and Choji looked at Sakura and Gaara as they smiled at them and Tsunade did as well.

"Sakura! Gaara! You're here but why?" Shikamaru said as Sakura rushed forward and enveloped her friend in a hug that he returned as Choji smiled at her and shook Gaara's hand. Sakura let go of Shikamaru as he clasped Gaara's hand in his own pulling him in for a friendly pat on the back. They pulled back and Sakura grinned at them.

"We're on a vacation and we decided to stop by and see everyone." Shikamaru smiled and Choji beamed.

"Well I say we go and have some good barbeque to celebrate! Surely you can't refuse the best barbeque in Konoha!" He smiled and Sakura laughed.

"Well of course we won't!" She smiled and Gaara looked at her with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"We'll meet you there." He said and Sakura looked at him confused as he grabbed her and put her on his back again before smiling and waving to Tsunade as they stepped out the window with an amused Sakura on Gaara's back as they were carried by the sand. The hovered outside the window and waved before taking off across the rooftops.

"Hey what's with Gaara carrying Sakura? Can she not use chakra or something?" Choji said watching them leave as Shikamaru chuckled. Suddenly Tsunade looked at him her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would she not be able to use  
>chakra? Sakura seems completely healthy. Unless…no never mind I'm sure Gaara is just trying to make her blush. Ah young love." She smiled and Shikamaru chuckled as they walked out of the room waving goodbye to Tsunade leaving her in high spirits. She was completely happy now that she had seen her daughter. She was so worried when she heard about the attack on Suna. So worried that she ended up bursting into tears in front of Jiraiya and crying into his arms as the pervy sage held her and told her not to worry. She shook her head and sat down in her chair pondering what she had earlier thought. <em>"No she would have told me. I hope she would have I am her adoptive mother after all."<em> She smiled and nodded satisfied as she went back to doing something she rarely ever did; Tsunade was doing paperwork.

"Hey was that- no it couldn't have been." Kiba shook his head as he swore he saw a flash of pink and red pass by. He was going to keep walking but he caught a scent in the air that had him freeze and then grab Lee by his jacket dragging him down the street as Lee spluttered and told him to slow down.

"Kiba has the springtime of youth gotten into you today?" He questioned earning a warning look from Kiba.

"I smelled a scent I haven't in a few months. Come on Lee quit dragging your feet!" He let go of the green clad boy who struck a nice Gai pose as he ran alongside Kiba and Akamaru who shook his head.

"Yosh! I shall pursue this person with you Kiba!" He grinned and Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah come on Lee." He smirked and pushed on where he smelled the familiar scent that was so faint on the air but definitely there. He turned a quick corner and smelled a strong scent of barbeque making him stop and curse. "Akamaru find the scent!" The dog barked and put his nose to the ground before barking again making Kiba nod as Lee stood there watching them. "Come on Lee I found it." He nodded to Akamaru who barked and ran off leaving the boys alone as they walked towards the barbeque shop where he saw Shikamaru and Choji walking inside.

"Shikamaru! Choji!" Lee called as they walked into the barbeque place and saw their friends near a table as they sat down. Choji turned and smiled waving them over as he sat down disappearing from view behind the high back of the large booth. Lee and Kiba walked over to their table and froze when they saw a familiar pink haired girl and her red haired husband.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Lee practically screamed as he hugged her tightly releasing her and sitting down next to Shikamaru as Kiba grinned.

"I knew I smelled your scent! I was sure I was imagining things! How are you too and what are you doing in Konoha?" He smiled and sat next to Gaara in the booth as Sakura smiled.

"We're doing great and we're on our way to somewhere for a vacation. I have absolutely no idea to where though as he refuses to tell me!" She looked at Gaara and he shrugged.

"It's a honeymoon surprise trip you shouldn't know and don't blame me it was Kankuro's idea." Sakura shook her head as the others grinned at the word honeymoon.

"Ah so it's your honeymoon eh? Thought you'd already have had that." Kiba said grinning at Gaara. He shrugged.

"Well not a proper one according to Kankuro and Temari." Sakura blushed heavily and the others laughed.

"Well I know one person who will be ecstatic to see you guys. Naruto hasn't shut up for a month. He was in a state of panic after he heard about the attack on Suna and we had to restrain him until it was over so he didn't do something stupid and run off trying to help." Sakura shook her head.

"Baka. He's always trying to do that." She shook her head fondly and smiled. They explained that they were going on their honeymoon making Sakura blush and the others laugh. They ordered the barbeque and got caught up on things in Konoha before talking about Suna. They explained in detail about the attack and how Sakura punched the former medical director into a wall after he insulted her then had him banned from any medical work of any kind. That got a huge laugh from everyone and a high five from Kiba. They all smiled fondly at Sakura each one realizing how much they really did miss her. As Kiba talked about how Akamaru raced halfway across town because he smelled a potential mate, which turned out to be a poodle in heat, Shikamaru was thinking about something else. He saw how happy Gaara and Sakura were and realized how much he really did miss his 'little sister' when she was in Suna. He also realized how much he missed a certain blonde that was his girlfriend but who he hadn't told anyone about or seen in a few months. He rarely saw her and they had been going out secretly for a year each one keeping up the façade that the other hadn't made a move. In reality he was planning on marrying her and moving to Suna. He wouldn't make her come to Konoha because of what high importance she held in Suna. He highly doubted that anyone had ever given thought to the sand siblings leaving much less getting married. He knew this and he decided that he would act the next time he saw Temari. He knew he couldn't keep their façade up especially with the thought of being able to live in Suna near his 'little sister' and with Temari.

"So I decided to go find Naruto and wouldn't you know it he was stuck in the mouth of one of the giant frogs because he had made him angry." Choji finished his story and Sakura laughed while the others smiled enjoying her laughter that had been absent from Konoha. It was strange, when she was gone on missions for months at a time or holed up in the hospital so much that no one ever saw her they didn't miss her nearly as much as now when they knew she was gone and living somewhere else. Kiba smiled and looked at her realizing something very different about her.

"Hey Sakura did you get a new headband?" Sakura looked at him and touched the headband on her pink hair before smiling.

"Yeah I did here do you want to see it?" She took it off of her hair and handed it to him. He put it in the middle of the table and they all looked at it the realization hitting them all with such force that they all became speechless. The mark of Suna was proudly displayed on her headband showing to all that saw it that her allegiance was to Suna. Kiba was the first to speak again saying it looked nice. She smiled and put it back on snapping the others out of their stupor. The waitress came back around to get the bill and everyone volunteered to pay immediately as the boys started fighting over who got to pay all except for Gaara. He looked at the waitress and nodded. She smiled and walked away. The boys all looked at him and he shrugged.

"I've got a tab here for Kankuro when he comes. He just likes barbeque way too much." Sakura laughed and they all stood up before looking at Sakura.

"Hey do you guys wanna come train? Naruto said something about training later today and maybe we'll catch him there." Kiba asked as they walked outside where Akamaru greeted Sakura with a huge lick and a bark. She laughed and nodded.

"Sure that'd be great. Hey we'll race you there!" She said smiling and Kiba grinned.

"You're on!" Sakura beamed and Gaara looked at her as she smiled at him climbing onto his back again making Kiba raise an eyebrow and the others smile. "Ok one the count of three; one two three!" Gaara shot off on his sand as the other jumped onto the rooftops rushing along at top speed a Gaara suddenly turned left on his sand and started to speed up with Sakura burying her face in his red hair not liking how high they were. He slowed and Sakura felt him stop as she raised her head up to see them hovering above the training grounds and a certain blonde farther off around a bunch of destroyed trees laying on his back obviously passed out. Sakura looked at Gaara and he let her get down as the others arrived panting.

"How the heck do you go that fast?" Kiba asked and Sakura grinned.

"His sand is impressive." She looked at the others as they all noticed Naruto on his back farther down the training area. They looked at Sakura and she smiled walking over to him with the others. She knelt down and put her hands out doing a quick scan of him and saw that he was fine just resting. She rolled her eyes and yelled at him. "Hey Naruto! Kakashi-sensei told me we've got a mission!" The blonde shot up and jumped up before blinking as he saw the others around him and heard a girly laugh. He whirled around and saw Sakura standing there laughing as his blue eyes filled with happiness and he shot towards her with a shout.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto hit her in a tackle making her stumble a little as her blonde friend looked at her as he pulled back from his hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming! I've missed you so much Sakura-chan!" He hugged her again and Sakura laughed.

"Naruto I didn't have time to tell anyone I was coming I didn't know until yesterday. It was kind of a surprise trip and he still won't tell me where we are going." She said looking at Gaara who smirked as Naruto turned to him and enveloped him in a hug that made the red head look a little surprised. He really wasn't used to anyone but Sakura's hugs. Naruto looked at them and beamed.

"I'm so glad you guys are here! We can go get ramen later and you can see everyone else! We've all missed you guys! Ino was bawling for at least a week after you left Sakura and even Shino mentioned that it was strange knowing you weren't living here anymore." Sakura smiled and took Gaara's hand in her own.

"I'm sorry I didn't come earlier we are a little busy in Suna." Naruto looked at her and smiled.

"So you guys wanna spar or do you want to go see everyone else?" Kiba asked as Shikamaru leaned lazily against a tree.

"We can go see everyone else now I kind of want to see Ino." Sakura said and the others smiled.

"I think I'm going to go and watch some clouds. Choji are you coming?" Choji looked at Shikamaru and nodded.

"Yeah we'll catch up with you guys later Ino's going to have a party for you no matter what so we'll be there!" Sakura nodded and waved walking away with Naruto on her left and Gaara on her right holding her hand as Lee walked next to Naruto with Kiba and Akamaru near them as well. They were all talking and Sakura was telling Naruto what had happened in Suna and was answering his numerous questions with a tried patience smiling because she really had missed her team mate. They walked through the town with people waving to Sakura and Gaara and them waving back. The news that the Kazekage and the Kaze-hime were back in Konoha was spreading like wildfire already. Across the city Tenten was walking with Neji and Hinata talking to them near a store when they heard a Jounin passing by say something about the Kazekage. Tenten and the others stopped and listened in as the Jounin and his companion stopped.

"Yeah apparently they're back in Konoha. Someone said they saw them on the market road." Tenten looked at Neji and Hinata who nodded as they all jumped onto the rooftops rushing towards the market road wanting to see if Sakura and Gaara really were back in Konoha. Neji was mainly following them because of Tenten who had grabbed his arm and practically drug him up onto the rooftops. They jumped down onto the market road and saw a pink haired person laughing happily next to Naruto and a red head who was holding her hand. Tenten's eyes got wide and she rushed forward.

"Sakura!" She screamed as Sakura and the others turned as Tenten enveloped her in a tight hug. "Oh my gosh it's so good to see you!" Hinata walked up and hugged her as well smiling happily with Tenten.

"Sakura, Gaara it is nice to see you." Neji said and Sakura rolled her eyed before pulling him into a hug which made the white eyed ninja lose him composure for a minute before nodding as she let go. Sakura laughed and looked at Tenten.

"Hey is Ino at her shop today?" Tenten nodded and Sakura grinned. "We're going to go and pay her a visit." Tenten grinned and the group started up the road once again in a mass of talking and smiling as Tenten asked Sakura about what life was like in Suna. She answered as best as she could but was not prepared for what Tenten shot at her next.

"So I heard Kiba say you were going on your honeymoon. I would have thought you'd already had that. Or is this like a second honeymoon that's going to be more romantic or something." Sakura looked at her wide eyed as her face turned cherry red and everyone laughed again as Gaara merely smirked.

"It's more of a proper honeymoon as we had to start working as soon as we got to Suna." Tenten looked at him and grinned. Before she could say anything else Sakura and the group stopped in front of the Yamanaka flower shop where they could see Ino watering some plants. Sakura looked at Gaara and grinned taking his hand before the group walked through the door ringing the bell.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop how may I… SAKURA!" Ino turned and ran towards her friend pulling her into a hug with tears in her eyes. "It's so great to see you both! How are you?" Sakura laughed.

"We're great. I missed you too Ino." Sakura said her emerald eyes full of happiness.

"Hey all of you come on back and we'll have some celebratory lemonade!" They all nodded except for Neji who tried to sneak out but was grabbed by Lee who declared it would be very fun. Tenten giggled as Neji glared and the group walked into the back room. There were a few couches around so they all sat down as Ino brought back a bunch of glasses and two pitchers of lemonade. She poured them all a glass and the group took them talking again happily catching Ino up on everything as she declared there would have a party making everyone laugh and Kiba say "I told you so!" Ino then turned to Sakura as she was taking a sip of lemonade.

"So Sakura any kids on the way yet?" Sakura's eyes went wide and she started coughing heavily putting down her lemonade as Tenten hit her on the back making her cough again and look at Ino with a disbelieving expression.

"W-what?" Ino rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on! We all know you've had at least some sort of a honeymoon!" Sakura turned bright red again and Gaara merely took a sip of lemonade with an amused smile.

"W-we're on our way to our honeymoon Ino and no there are no kids on the way." Ino rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Well no doubt there will be soon! Oh I am so going to be Auntie Ino! How cute does that sound?" She smiled and Sakura blushed again as the others all laughed except for Naruto who looked confused.

"Wait honeymoon? Like a couple's thing?" Sakura rolled her eyes at the blonde and laughed.

"Yes Naruto a honeymoon no doubt Jiraiya talked to you about it." Naruto looked even more confused for a second before grinning.

"Oh so like Icha Icha!" Sakura looked at him in disbelief before turning bright red again and was on the verge of fainting like Hinata used to. Kiba was howling with laughter and so were the other girls as Sakura tried to hide behind Gaara by sinking back into the couch. He looked at Naruto and smiled before chuckling at Sakura's bright red face. He was used to Kankuro's perverted sense of humor and had stumbled across one of the Icha Icha books that his brother had bought after suggestion from Kakashi. He was so enlightened by that and also completely disturbed. How his brother could read that and not be he had no idea. He still hadn't touched the Icha Icha books Jiraiya gave him at his bachelor party. He had them safely stowed in Kankuro's house. He had to admit he was almost relieved that he gave them to Kankuro for fear of Sakura finding them. No doubt she hated them because of her sensei reading them constantly. As everyone calmed down Sakura stood and smiled at Ino.

"Hey Ino when's the party going to be?" Ino looked at her pink haired friend and grinned.

"Tonight. I'll tell you the exact time when I talk to your Shishou. She'll help out no doubt. I'll come over and tell you when I know." Sakura nodded and looked at everyone.

"I'm so happy to see all of you but we haven't been back to my house yet and I think we should get going. Make sure all of the rookie nine is there tonight. I still haven't seen Shino or the sensei's. I'll see you later!" She smiled and Gaara nodded taking her hand again as everyone said their goodbyes as well as they all left Ino's flower shop going their separate ways. Gaara looked at Sakura and smiled kissing her head.

"I'm glad to be back in Konoha as well. Suna is our home but Konoha is our second home where our friends are." She nodded and leaned against him as they walked up the street to her house. They walked up the steps and she took out the key in her pouch sighing as she put it in the lock and turned it walking inside. Everything was like they had left it. Someone had been cleaning it and it was dust free and looked like it had when they had left. It was small compared to their house in Suna. Actually it was tiny compared to their house in Suna and Inner pointed that out right away. Sakura shut her out immediately as Gaara looked at her and smiled. "We only have two days here so we should enjoy them." Sakura looked at him and he smiled leaning down to kiss her. She kissed him back and they both smiled walking back to her bedroom and setting their packs on the desk in her room. The bed was still made and everything she didn't take with her was still on the shelf but it was pretty much empty with only a few things lying around. She sighed and sat on the bed as Gaara sat next to her and took her hand in his. "What is it Sakura? You've been acting different." She looked at him and smiled.

"It's nothing Gaara I'm just remembering things about this house. My parents, Christmas, When Ino pushed me into the room where Kiba, Kankuro and Naruto were in a corset and frilly underwear…" Gaara looked at her with a questioning glance and she blushed.

"What was that last one? Corset and underwear? Hmmm how come _I _haven't seen these yet. My brother has so I think I deserve a turn hm? Perhaps in a few days I will. In fact I look forward to it." He leaned over and kissed her growling happily making her laugh.

"I love you Gaara." He smiled looking down at her.

"And I you."

END OF CHAPTER 54! REVIEWS! AWWWWW FULL OF FLUFF! MORE TO COME!


	50. Chapter 55

Saki- Ughh I am so flipping hot!

Kisame- Damn right you are shorty!

Saki- You know what I mean Kisame. It's this damn heat wave!

Kisame- Hey I'm happy with it if it keeps you in that tank top and shorts!

Saki- Seriously? Kami you all think the same don't you? Well I own nothing!

Chapter 55

Sakura had unpacked her scrolls and was now resting her head on Gaara's shoulder as they sat in the living room watching some documentary on foxes. Sakura kept aw'ing at the baby foxes and Gaara was watching her more often than the television as he smiled at her small coos and adorable faces. Around four the door opened and Ino walked inside striding right over to the living room where they were sitting.

"Well hi Ino! Come on in!" Sakura said sarcastically as the blonde rolled her eyes.

"Hey forehead, Gaara, party's at six at the club Tsunade had her Christmas party at. Dress nice and yes that means a dress forehead." She looked pointedly at her friend before waving and walking back out of their house shutting the door behind her. Gaara looked at Sakura who was grumbling.

"You'd think she owned the place. I seriously need to get an Ino alarm system." Gaara chuckled at his wife who looked at him with a small smile.

"She's like Temari and Kankuro. They don't care they just barge right in. It's led to Kankuro almost being buried in sand a few times. Thank goodness Temari knew how to calm me down when I was younger. Or at least stop me from killing Kankuro." He chuckled and Sakura giggled smiling at him as she stood up walking to their room.

"You coming to change? I'm going to get ready." Gaara nodded and Sakura disappeared into the hallway as Gaara stood up. He walked into their room and saw the bathroom door shut assuming Sakura was doing her hair or something of the sort. He walked over to his scroll and opened it picking out a white long sleeved collared shirt with a black tie along with black dress pants. He then slid on a black dinner jacket and some dress shoes. He then waited for Sakura to finished getting ready leaning casually against the door frame that led to their bedroom. A few minutes later Sakura stepped out in a simple purple dress that reached her knees and had a slit on the left side extending a little further up her calf. It had a V cut neckline with a halter strap and a low cut back crisscrossed in ribbon. He pink hair was pulled back into a simple bun except for the bangs that framed her face. She had almost no makeup on save for a light eye shadow of the palest blue that seemed to make her emerald eyes shine. Gaara smiled at her and she blushed. "Wow Gaara you look amazing!" She said looking at his outfit.

"I was going to say the same to you but extraordinary seems to fit better." She blushed again and he smiled taking her hand before leading her out of the room. She grabbed a white jacket and he held it up for her as she slid into it buttoning it before wrapping her arms around his outstretched one walking close to him their sides touching. He held one of her hands lightly in his as they walked out onto the street. They walked slowly down the road just enjoying the silence of the twilight around them before turning onto the road that led to the club where they could already hear the party going on. Sakura looked at Gaara and he smiled.

"You ready? Ino can go over the top a lot." He smirked.

"I remember from the bachelorette and bachelor after party." Sakura laughed and they walked into the club past the guard who nodded as they opened the door and stepped inside. Music and lights filled the club and there were already plenty of people there all shinobi that Sakura and Gaara knew. Their friends spotted them as Sakura gave the coat girl her jacket and headed over to where her friends were enthusiastically waving them over.

"Forehead you really clean up nicely!" Ino said as she saw her friend. Sakura blushed and the guys all smiled.

"Sakura-chan I'm glad you're back in Konoha for a little while this should be a fun party!" Naruto said grinning as he sat next to a blushing Hinata in a black jacket that was open showing a white shirt with an orange tie underneath. Sakura smiled and was surprised to see Lee in a green dress jacket with a green tie with his jacket buttoned at the bottom. Neji and Tenten sat near him making sure he didn't touch a drop of alcohol. Sakura took a seat next to Gaara at the table and waved to Shino who nodded and smiled as Kiba spotted the group from the dance floor and ran over.

"Hey you guys gotta come and dance! Come on Kotetsu and Izumo are dancing but none of you guys are!" Sakura looked at Kiba and then at Gaara.

"Well one dance wouldn't hurt." She said and Gaara nodded.

"We'll dance we might as well as we might not be back for a while." Kiba beamed and looked at the others as Naruto and Lee stood as well along with Ino and a blushing Hinata. Ino strolled right out onto the dance floor and started dancing next to Genma. Sakura was getting up when she saw Choji's hand tighten on the glass almost to the point of breaking it. She walked over to him making him look up and Gaara stop and watch her confused as she grabbed his hand making his eyes widen as she dragged him over to the dance floor and pushed him into the crowd of people dancing so that he ended up right next to Ino. Ino turned and looked at him and Sakura didn't miss the blush on her cheeks as she started dancing next to him getting him to dance as well. The others all chuckled and Sakura shrugged walking over to Gaara as he put an arm around her waist.

"What? He wanted to anyways." She waved her hand dismissively as Gaara smiled a little as the couple walked over to the dance floor. Shikamaru smiled and drank his drink lazily leaning back in the booth across from Neji and next to Shino.

"Thinking about something Shikamaru?" Shino asked breaking his usual silent demeanor as he noticed the shadow nin's eyes had the familiar look that meant he was deep in thought. Shikamaru looked at him and sighed his usual sigh.

"Yeah. I think I'm going to go to Suna soon." Shino nodded and Neji looked at the shadow nin with a knowing look.

"I knew you would leave sooner or later. We all knew. Especially Sakura she knew you would before the rest of us did." Shikamaru looked up at Neji with a smile.

"I know. I never would have even thought of making any sort of move unless she had taken that leap with Gaara. I think she changed all of us." Neji nodded slightly as Tenten ran over and pulled on his hand. He followed her to the dance floor reluctantly but Shikamaru knew that he wanted to go but was still hiding behind his icy demeanor as he always had and probably always would. Shino and Shikamaru watched as their friends danced and talked for a while until Shino left.

"Do you think we should have stayed with Shikamaru? He looks lonely." Sakura said looking over at her brother-like friend. Gaara smiled slightly at her and took her hand in his spinning them around.

"You worry too much. That dress you are wearing is entirely too nice for me not to dance with you and give you my full attention." He placed his hand on her mostly bare back sending shivers up her spine that he felt. He looked at her with a slightly amused expression as the fast song changed to a slow one fitting their current style of dance. Gaara held her hand in his own with his hand on her back and her hand resting on his upper back as they moved around the dance floor easily passing Ino and a blushing Choji and Tenten and Neji who were dancing amazingly well. All others eyes were upon Gaara and Sakura however as they moved so perfectly to the song matching every step and swell of the music. They made another turn as Sakura twirled out and back in pressed against Gaara's chest now making her blush as he kept her in that position holding her close and moving in a slow circle. They were completely content to once again simply take in the other's scent and closeness as they had done at their first wedding.

"Gaara the song ended." Sakura whispered as a fast song came on and Gaara still moved with her in a slow circle. He looked at her and smiled.

"I noticed but I didn't want to let you go." He said with a smile and she rolled her eyes laughing. He chuckled a little as she continued to laugh almost doubling over. He looked at her completely bemused as she looked back up at him with a beaming smile.

"Oh Gaara you didn't have to wait until a slow song came on to hold me like that. I am welcome to it any time." He smiled as she laughed again. She pulled out of his embrace and twirled before twirling back into his arms where he caught her and dipped her down quickly then back up again. She giggled and he smirked as they walked over to where Kakashi was standing watching them with a smile in his eye. Sakura walked over and gave him a hug which surprised him but made him smile again.

"Hey Sakura, Gaara, how has my favorite former student and her husband been?" He asked looking at them both. Sakura laughed as Gaara put his arm back around her waist.

"We've been great Kakashi-sensei! Busy though you know how it gets when you're working in a hospital and going to meetings all of the time." He looked at her and smiled.

"Actually I don't, you know I tend to take things easy. Never really been one to go to meetings." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I expect you don't know. I know you take it easy Sensei, we all know, you are late to everything because of it." Kakashi looked at her feigning hurt as he clutched his chest and pretended to shy away from her.

"Oh Sakura your words wound me! I am not always late only most of the time." He grinned and she rolled her eyes like she had when she was younger as Gaara smiled next to her. Ino spotted them and rushed over as Sakura caught sight of her and looked at Gaara. He nodded as Kakashi stood up saying something about talking to Kurenai before disappearing.

"Gaara, Sakura are you enjoying the party!" Ino asked smiling at them. Sakura nodded.

"It's nice Ino thanks for having it." She said happily. Ino beamed and looked at them with a new interest.

"So when exactly do you leave for your honeymoon?" Sakura was about to answer when Tsunade came over in a slightly buzzed state.

"They leave tomorrow!" Sakura looked at her in disbelief.

"No we're staying for a few days right?" She said looking at Gaara. He looked a little guilty as he looked at Tsunade.

"Well I was thinking we could stay longer when we return. You see I asked Tsunade to set up something for us and the only time she could get was tomorrow. I promise we can stay at least five days when we get back and possibly much longer." Sakura looked at him surprised and Ino and Tsunade both wondered if she would snap on Gaara like she usually did to others when situations like this occurred. They were both surprised when she smiled and looked at Tsunade and Ino.

"Well I guess it can't be helped I'll see everyone when we get back." She smiled and both of them were shocked. Gaara was as well. Maybe Sakura was just being nice but he knew she really didn't mind. She smiled as Tenten came over hauling a slightly miffed looking Neji grabbing Sakura and towing her off calling to Gaara about catching up with her. Ino and Tsunade turned to Gaara as soon as they left.

"What the hell was that about? I've never seen Sakura act calm like that when someone told her plans had been changed last minute. Not even towards Tsunade and I! That is like her biggest pet peeve!" Ino said in awe. Gaara looked slightly stunned himself. Tsunade laughed.

"We finally found the miracle Sakura calmer! Used in most situations where Sakura would blow her top!" She laughed and patted Gaara's back before walking over to where Jiraiya sat at the bar talking to Ibiki. Ino grinned at Gaara and walked over to whisper something in his ear.

"A mellow approach to a change in plans is not at all like Sakura no matter who it is telling her. Keep that in mind." She smiled as Gaara looked at her blankly as she walked away.

_"What the heck is she talking about a change in female behavioral patterns?"_ Shukaku chuckled and Gaara expected him to clarify and was angry when all he got was a, _"You're gonna have to find out for yourself kid." _He was very puzzled and slightly annoyed at what Ino had said as he walked over to where Sakura sat next to Shikamaru and across from Tenten and Neji. She smiled at Gaara as he sat and took his hand in hers under the table lacing her small fingers through his.

"Gaara what time are we leaving tomorrow?" She asked looking up at him.

"Around nine in the morning. I'm sorry it is rather early to be leaving so suddenly." She shrugged and looked at him with a calm expression.

"I don't mind Gaara really." He was surprised but assumed she really had changed since they had gotten married. Not a lot but she was definitely much happier now. Ino had pointed that out at the bachelorette and bachelor after party. He was much happier himself and agreed that it was because of Sakura. He had never once been this happy in his entire life and he knew it. Sakura snaked her arm in his with their fingers still entwined as she leaned on his shoulder a little. "Well I'm going to head home tell Ino that it was a great party. I'm really tired." Gaara looked at her as Tenten nodded and they all smiled at her except for Shikamaru who looked at her with a sort of caring sadness.

"Goodnight Sakura, Gaara, sleep well." He said and Sakura nodded happily as she and Gaara stood. Gaara was a bit bothered by the shadow nin's sadness but he figured it was because Sakura was leaving. She was like his little sister and they all knew it. He cared for her very much as a brother anyone could tell that by observing them for just a short amount of time. Sakura and Gaara left quickly grabbing her coat at the coat check in and leaving before Ino could notice they were gone. Sakura looked at Gaara and smiled exhaling swirls of white mist into the chill night air. It was a clear night and the stars shown peacefully on Konoha. It was a sleepy town at night unlike the gambling towns Tsunade had frequented before she was Hokage. Sakura had been to towns like that where it never seemed to calm down and there were still lights and people up around two in the morning. She liked Konoha at night. When she was younger she used to sit on her windowsill and look out at the stars on nights like this. Gaara watched her expression change to one of a peaceful relaxed girl to the grin he knew meant she had an idea.

"Gaara would you mind going somewhere before we go home?" She asked looking up at him her emerald eyes seeming to catch the starlight and shimmer with every word she spoke.

"Of course Sakura. Where did you have in mind?" Sakura smiled at him and took his hand in hers.

"You'll see." She smiled and he looked at her with an expression of amusement and happiness that was a new development since he married Sakura. He followed her through the streets of Konoha and across the bridge where they were engaged the water now flowing under it. Sakura continued to Team Seven's training field before walking further along the edge of the woods. Gaara was still following her with a questioning look on his features. She continued along a path into the trees that she seemed to know very well. Finally they came to a large open field that lead up to a big hill with a large tree at the top. She walked up the hill to where the tree was and looked at Gaara. She was standing next to an old swing that hung on the branch of the tree.

"I used to come here with my mom on nights like this in the summer. We used to count the fireflies until we couldn't anymore. I would catch them and show them to her and she would laugh and watch as I ran around. Then we would look at the stars. I loved doing that. She would tell me about my dad as well. We would laugh and talk about him and she always told me that he was still here laughing with us. I asked her about why there were fireflies one night when we were watching them. My mom said that my dad loved fireflies and would come here to watch them as well. She met my father in a meadow like this when she was returning home from a neighboring village. She was watching the fireflies and he asked her if she knew how they came to be. She said no and he told her a story about them that he had heard as a young child. She told me the story and I still remember it. I remember almost all of the stories she told me." Gaara looked at her and waited for her to speak again as she smiled at him. He walked over to her and they looked up at the sky for a while in silence. Soon Sakura shivered and Gaara looked down at her with concern.

"Are you cold?" He asked and she nodded. "We'll come back when it's warmer it's too cold for this now. I'll tell you the story as we walk back." She said with a small smile as she shivered slightly and Gaara wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked back down the hill.

"So what was the story your mother told you?" Gaara asked very intrigued. He did not hear a lot of stories growing up and was very curious about it. Especially if it was something important to Sakura.

"Well it's the story of how fireflies came to be. A long time ago, a woodsman and his wife lived on the edge of a beautiful forest beneath a mountain. They had a cozy little house and a beautiful garden, but they were not happy, as they wished for a child. One moonlit night, the wife slipped out of the house and laid herself down before the great mountain with its shining snowcap. She begged for the Lady of the Moon to send her and her husband a child. As she prayed, a tiny light appeared high upon the mountain and began to drift down toward the woman. When the light reached the branches of the bamboo, it stopped. The woman was overjoyed when she found it was a Moonchild, sent by the Lady in the Moon herself. She took the child home and her husband was overjoyed as well. The Moonchild grew into a beautiful young lady, a Moon Princess, and was beloved by all who saw her. When the Emperor's son saw her, he asked for her hand in marriage. However, she refused, saying that her mother, the Moon Lady, had bidden her to return home when she reached the age of twenty. When the night came for her to leave, the woodsman, his wife, and the Emperor's son were all there to say goodbye, and they were inconsolable. The Lady in the Moon sent down a silver moonbeam for her daughter, and the Princess floated up upon it. As she floated, the Princess cried silver tears for those she left behind. As they fell, they took wing and flew all over the land. The Moon Princess' tears can still be seen on moonlit nights. Some call them fireflies, but those who know the legend know that they are the Princess' tears, searching for those she loved on Earth and had to leave behind. My mother always told me that if you caught one that it was like catching the moon in your hands. I would catch as many as I could and always kept count." Gaara looked at Sakura with a smile and kissed her pink hair as they came up to her doorstep.

"That is a lovely story Sakura-chan. Temari told me a few stories when I was little but they are very different than your stories I suppose. Ours are mostly about the desert and how the sand came there. I'll tell them to you some time." She smiled as they walked inside.

"I'd like that Gaara-kun." He took her coat and hung it on the peg near the door before walking down the hall with her to the bedroom. They had taken off their shoes and placed them back in the clothing scroll before pulling out their night clothes. Sakura walked into the bathroom to change as Gaara changed into his usual black pants and shirt that he always wore to bed. Sakura opened the door to the bathroom and walked over to the bed flopping down onto it with a sigh. Gaara looked at her and laid down next to her letting her crawl into his arms.

"Ino's parties tire you out?" He asked and she nodded yawning.

"They always do. She goes over the top every time. At least this time I'm not the one dragging a drunk Ino back to her house at two in the morning. That was never fun." Gaara chuckled and she smiled at him laying her head on his chest. "Gaara I don't know what I'd do without you in my life. Being with you is like my whole world now. I don't want to miss a minute of it." She hugged him close and he looked at her his turquoise eyes softer than they had ever been before as he looked at the pink haired kunoichi that made his life what it is.

"I know Sakura. I feel the same way." He kissed her head and closed his eyes pulling the covers around them as Sakura closed her eyes and stayed with her head on his chest.

"I love you Gaara. Goodnight." She whispered.

"And I you Sakura. Goodnight." He said back as they both fell asleep in each other's arms like they had for months. He couldn't help but feel something on his heart seem to lift away. Like the weight was suddenly gone leaving him feeling better than he ever had.

_"Thank you Sakura. Your love changed me and I cannot live without it anymore." _He thought as he slipped into his dreams.

Sakura found herself somewhere she hadn't been in a while. She looked around and saw she was in the Cherry Blossom clearing again.

_"It's about time you showed up." Inner said crossing her arms as she looked at Sakura from her place by the Cherry Blossom tree. It was warm and the Cherry Blossom trees were in bloom the pink petals scattered everywhere. _

_"Well I'm sorry I've been busy." Sakura said rolling her eyes as Inner gracefully jumped up onto a nearby tree branch. _

_"Ohh I can't wait until the honeymoon! You know I think Gaara is bringing us to the beach. I mean how romantic is that? A beach honeymoon!" Inner squealed and Sakura just rolled her eyes jumping up next to her before sitting._

_"You know I don't care as long as I get a vacation with Gaara. I got to see my friends again as well. I missed Shikamaru a lot and Naruto as well. I missed them all so much." She looked out over the clearing and Inner looked at her with a raised eyebrow. _

_"Yeah but you and I both know that Shikamaru is going to go to Suna soon anyways. It's obvious he was thinking about it. He was debating over it at the party and I think seeing how happy you are with Gaara convinced him." Sakura looked at Inner and laughed. _

_"I sure hope he does! Temari loves that kid and we both know he needs someone to get him off of his lazy ass and making a long term commitment. Besides we could use him in Suna!" She smiled and Inner laughed. _

_"Hey Sakura you know I think that you should show me to Gaara." Sakura looked at Inner and blinked as a cloud passed over the sun making the clearing darker. _

_"What?" Sakura practically growled._

_"I'm just saying let me take over so he can meet me I mean it'll be easy enough…" She closed her eyes and talked nonchalantly as Sakura cut her off. _

_"Inner your ideas can be so stupid sometimes! He'll meet you if I ever need you! But if not then no." The cloud passed and the sunlight streamed back over the green grass that waved slowly in the slight warm breeze that passed through the trees where Inner and Sakura sat. Inner looked at Sakura and sighed. _

_"Well it was worth a shot." She giggled and swung backwards out of the tree. "I'll talk to you later. You'd better go. See you later." She waved and Sakura saw the clearing fade into a flash of white. She blinked and saw she was now outside of her house in Suna. She walked up to the door of her house and opened it looking inside. She didn't see anyone and it seemed very quiet._

_"Hello? Gaara? Are you home?" She looked around the kitchen and living room but didn't see him. She was about to go upstairs when she heard laughter from the back yard. _

_"Haha catch me if you can!" A childish voice was carried from the open door as Sakura walked outside blinking in the sunlight. She saw Gaara running around with a smile on his face and laughter in his turquoise eyes as he ran across the grass and over to a tree. She saw a smaller figure dart out from behind the tree and run across the yard. Gaara chased after it. Sakura was suddenly curious about the smaller figure. She didn't have long to wonder because Gaara stopped and looked over at her smiling suddenly as the smaller figure ran out from behind the tree and straight towards her. _

_"Mommy you're home!" The little boy laughed as he ran towards her and Sakura noticed that he had dark red hair, much darker than Gaara's, and deep blue eyes. He ran to her and she took him in her arms smiling happily. _

_"Sakura I'm glad you're home, he was waiting for you. So was I." Gaara said walking over to her and kissing her head as the little boy hung onto her around her neck and they stood there smiling like a happy family. The dream started to fade and she heard a voice calling her name. _

"Sakura-chan it's time to get up." She blinked and looked up at the figure above her with a bewildered expression. Gaara looked at her with a smirk as he kissed her head softly.

"Huh? But wasn't I just in Suna? Where's the boy?" She sat up completely confused as she realized it really had been just a dream. Gaara watched his wife blush suddenly as she looked at him. "Oh I'm sorry it was just a dream." He watched her lay back on the pillow and suddenly remembered something she had said a long time ago.

"Sakura-chan do you remember when we were on the mission before we were married and you said you had a good dream but you never told me what it was?" Sakura looked at him and blushed even more heavily as Inner reminded her that it was the dream where she was in the field and was pregnant.

"Yes I remember. I suppose you want me to tell you now." She laughed. "Well I was in a field and it was Spring. There were Sakura petals falling around me and I was sitting in soft grass. You came up to me and said you were sorry you didn't meet me at the gates of Konoha so I guess we were living here or visiting. Then you said you didn't want me getting hurt and Naruto and you decided that I couldn't go on any more missions for a while. I was upset but then I realized why you said that and I was ok with it. It was a happy dream." Gaara looked at her a bit confused.

"Why would I not want you to go on missions? I would never take that away from you Sakura unless I had a very good reason." Sakura looked at him and blushed a little.

"Oh Gaara you did have a good reason. But never mind that we need to get going right?" He nodded and she smiled sitting up to kiss him on the lips softly. "I'm going to go get changed then we can go." He stood as she grabbed her clothing scroll and walked into the bathroom to change. He himself changed into his usual clothing complete with the crimson coat he usually wore and his vest. Sakura had her usual clothing on as well as she walked into the kitchen where he was making eggs for them. He handed her a plate and she took it gratefully sitting at the counter to eat it. He ate his as well watching her as she washed the plates and put them back in the cupboard before turning and picking up her backpack and packs putting them on along with her shoes as she stood near the door. Gaara had done the same and had his gourd strapped to his back.

"Are you ready?" He asked, his hand on the doorknob. She nodded and put on her traveling cloak before stepping out with him into the chilly air. He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze before shutting and locking the door. When he turned back around again Sakura was smiling at him happily.

"It's almost nine we should get going." She took his hand once again and set off down the road towards the gate where they would be meeting Tsunade who insisted on seeing them off. Sakura was enjoying the walk through the town. She always did early in the morning. Though this wasn't exactly early it was still quiet and peaceful in Konoha with only a few people milling about. Most stopped and watched them as they passed by whispering to each other. Sakura smiled at Gaara as they walked down the road ignoring the almost silent whispers that were being passed between the few people meandering around the street. Gaara looked down at the smaller figure that was his wife and put his arm around her shoulder before leaning down and kissing her softly. She looked up at him a bit surprised before smiling once again. They arrived at the gate where Tsunade was waiting along with Shikamaru which surprised Sakura a little bit. "Shikamaru are you here to see us off as well? You know we'll be coming back." He smiled at her and nodded.

"Well I wanted to see you off." Sakura's eyes softened and she hugged Shikamaru making him smile a little.

"I missed you too Shika I really did." She said as she hugged him. He let go after a minute and she pulled back looking into his eyes and smiling.

"Well you two have to get on the road." Tsunade said looking at Gaara and Sakura. They nodded and Sakura hugged her Shishou with a smile.

"We'll be back soon Shishou. Take care of everyone while we're gone." She nodded and smiled at Sakura as she stepped next to Gaara holding onto his arm as he lifted them up on the sand to hover.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama I really do appreciate it." Gaara said and Tsunade waved away his compliment.

"Oh just get going you two!" She said playfully and Gaara gave her a small smile as Sakura waved goodbye to Shikamaru and Tsunade as they left through the gates riding Gaara's sand. As soon as they were out of sight Tsunade turned to Shikamaru and smiled. "We'll miss you too Shikamaru. It'll be good for Sakura to have someone else in Suna with her and for you to settle down but we'll miss you." He looked at the Hokage and smiled.

"I know and I'm going to leave with them when they come back." Tsunade nodded and started walking away.

"You coming kid? I'm going to grab a cup of sake at the pub are you going to join me?" She asked as she walked away. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but followed her anyways.

"Drinking this early in the morning?" Tsunade looked at him and nodded.

"It's never too early to drink kid." She smiled a little and he shook his head but followed her none the less. Shizune would murder him if she showed up completely inebriated to the Hokage office.

END OF CHAPTER 55! OMG FIVE MORE UNTIL CHAPTER 60! COME ON REVIEWS FOR CHAPTER 55 WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED! 3


	51. Chapter 56

Saki- Hey everyone! I'm so sorry this is late! We got another heat wave.

Pein- Much to the joy of most of us.

Saki- Funny thing is Hidan didn't have to change outfits.

Pein-I think you are enjoying this a little too much.

Saki- Shirtless guys, tank tops and shorts. What's not to love?

Pein- Alright then my Rini owns nothing.

LEMON ALERT!

Chapter 56

Sakura was enjoying the ride hanging on to Gaara as they moved swiftly on the sand. She held tightly onto his hand and he held her waist firmly so she would not be nervous about the flight. After a few hours Gaara reached over and covered Sakura's eyes with his hands.

"What is this for?" She questioned.

"I want you to be surprised. It's just up ahead." She smiled and leaned back on his strong frame as he held his hands over her eyes. They started to descend and Sakura couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be in the middle of nowhere. After a while Sakura smelled salt water and knew they were close to the Sothern part of Fire Country near the ocean. It was very warm here and Sakura knew the water here was very warm and almost tropical.

"The Ocean?" She questioned and he chuckled.

"Technically yes but that's not the surprise. This is." Gaara took his hands off of her eyes and she blinked for a moment adjusting to the sudden brightness. When her vision started to clear she was left breathless. Before her lay a large cove full of white sand and crystal clear water that rolled to the shore in lazy waves. She looked to her left and saw a pathway and, hidden in the trees, a large house that was built to look like a hot spring resort house. The Cove had high rocks around it and a small boat tethered to a dock farther down the beach. She was in absolute awe at the beauty of it all. "So do you like it?" Gaara asked after a while of Sakura's absolute silence. He had wrapped his arms around her waist and was waiting for her to answer.

"Gaara this is beautiful! I don't even know what to say! This is absolutely…amazing!" She said turning to him before kissing the red head fully on the lips. He smirked and kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad you like it. It is Lady Tsunade's. She inherited it from her father apparently. She's actually given it to us now since she never used it." Sakura looked at him and then back to the cove in disbelief.

"I'll have to thank her. This is absolutely breathtaking." He smiled and grabbed her hand towing her towards the path.

"You should see the house. I'm actually looking forward to seeing it myself." Sakura followed him happily towards where the house sat behind the trees. The pathway was sandy and shady as they walked up to the porch. Sakura and Gaara took off their shoes and set them near the door before sliding the doors open and stepping into the large house. The hallway led to a large living room with some couches and a television along with a coffee table. Behind it was the kitchen with a bar counter and stools along with a large fridge and plenty of counter space. There was a door that led into a shoji room and a huge staircase that Sakura walked up. There was a huge balcony and a huge master bedroom with a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a huge tub in it as big as the one they had in Suna. There was also a guest room and another few rooms.

"This house is amazing!" Gaara smiled as Sakura walked over to the massive canopy covered bed. She set her packs down on the table and Gaara laid his gourd next to the dresser along with his packs. They could unpack later. He walked over to where Sakura was laying on the bed with her eyes closed smiling. He laid next to her and rolled over top of her to hover above her. She cracked open her eyes and smiled. He leaned down and gingerly kissed her nose and eyelids making her laugh. "Thank you Gaara."

"Anything for you Sakura." It was cheesy but Gaara didn't care. He leaned down and kissed her slowly and sweetly making her impatient. She tried to deepen the kiss but he pulled back. "Now, now Sakura-chan that is for later. Don't you want to go swimming and explore a little in the cove? You deserve it Sakura we both work much too hard." He kissed her neck and sucked on her mark making her suck in her breath and resulting in another chuckle from the Kazekage. "Well aren't we going to go swimming Sakura-chan?" He growled softly in her ear before kissing the lobe causing her to shiver. He pulled back and looked down at his wife who was giving him a reproving glance at his seemingly impatient manner.

"Oh you just want to see my bathing suit." He looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I actually want to enjoy the water and the cove. I don't care about seeing your bathing suit. However, seeing you in it is a different matter entirely." She rolled her eyes and he chuckled as she lightly pushed him aside and stood up to go looking for her bathing suit. She pulled out her clothing scroll and undid it opening the suitcase and digging through it frustrated when she didn't find her bathing suit.

"I can't find my bathing suit! I packed it I'm sure I did! Gaara have you…" She turned and her eyes widened when she saw the red bikini that Ino had bought for her in his hands.

"Where did you get that?" She squeaked out and Gaara chuckled.

"It was the only one you packed Blossom. You accidentally put it in my suitcase when we were in Konoha." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow before shaking her head.

"I knew Naruto was a bad influence." He chuckled as she took it walking off to the bathroom to change. He smirked and put on his own swimsuit which consisted of black swim trunks with red stripes on the sides. Sakura came out a few minutes later with a black cover-up over her swimsuit. Gaara looked at her quizzically but didn't say anything. Sakura was once again frozen as she looked at her husband. She never could get over the toned body he had and she knew she never would.

"Ready to go?" He asked and she nodded smiling. He took her hand and she leaned on his shoulder with a happy look on her face as they walked down the stairs and out onto the path. They walked across the beach and laid down the towels they had brought with them on the white sand. The water was crystal clear and was very serene. Sakura looked out over it and let go of Gaara's arm walking down to the water and gasping when she felt how warm it was.

"Gaara! This is incredible! The water is so nice!" She giggled and walked out farther into the water. It lapped around her knees gently and she smiled happily before turning and running back to the shore where Gaara still stood watching her with a small smile on his lips. "Come on Gaara!" She said gleefully as she grabbed his arm and towed him into the water. He chuckled and followed his enthusiastic wife to where she stood happily in the warm water.

"Do you want to go swimming?" He asked after a moment. She looked at him happily and nodded. "Well then you'll need to take off that cover-up." She looked down and he lifted her head up by her chin. "You cannot possibly be modest Sakura. We are the only people who know about this beach besides Lady Tsunade. I am the only one here." Sakura's emerald eyes looked at him widely as she smiled.

"I know." She blushed a little as his hands moved to her waist and he pulled off the black cover-up throwing it onto the sand near their towels. She was left standing in her red bikini that showed off her toned stomach and every inch of her creamy legs that Gaara adored so much. Her bright red mark stood out on her neck and made Gaara smile as he looked at her. She was beautiful, every inch of her. From her pink hair across the expanse of creamy skin that covered her down to her toes curling in the sand under the water. He loved every bit of it and smiled as he looked at her kissing her forehead.

"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." He said as his turquoise eyes met her emerald ones and held her in his gaze. She blushed a little more and playfully splashed him making him laugh and smile. "Well then let the games begin!" He smirked and splashed her back making her giggle and run away from him laughing as she did so. He pursued her further down the beach and then followed as she dove into the water and resurfaced farther out. He laughed and did the same popping up next to her in the gorgeous water.

"This is so amazing Gaara look! There is a reef over there! I think there's a cave over there as well! Do you want to go swim to it?" She asked pointing to an indent in the cliffs encasing the cove and a pinkish mass under the water nearby. He nodded and they set off gliding through the water and smiling as they swam to where the reef was. They treaded water above it and Gaara handed Sakura a pair of snorkeling goggles his sand had brought to him from the beach. She took them and put them on sticking her head in the water next to his. They looked down and saw all sorts of fish swimming around a pinkish reef teeming with life. Sakura looked at Gaara and her eyes held wonder and joy as she took his hand and swam down to where the fish swam around them and they could look at them closer. They soon had to go up for air and when they did Sakura turned to Gaara and smiled. "This is incredible! We can bring regulators tomorrow maybe but we could go check out the cave now if you'd like." Gaara chuckled and Sakura looked at him with an amused expression. "What's so funny?"

"You are like a little kid. Your attention is jumping so quickly from one thing to another. We have time. We can go explore the cave now if you'd like though." She laughed and nodded swimming towards it with him right behind her. The cave was small and was merely a large dome with a pool that led out to the cove by an underwater entrance. Sakura pulled herself up onto the rocks around the pool and sat on them looking at the shimmering patterns caused by the water that adorned the walls. "Those are very nice." He said and Sakura laughed causing Gaara to give her a blank look.

"Yes they are very nice. Everything here is I'm so happy we came." Gaara's expression turned soft and he smiled at her putting his arm around her shoulder as she leaned on him. Their feet were dangling into the warm water of the pool and they watched the shimmers on the walls as the silent lapping of the pool set a calm mood. They left the cave after a while and went back into the cove swimming for a while before eating lunch on the beach that they brought from the house. After lunch they laid on the beach for a while before going inside where Sakura went and took a shower while Gaara set up plans for a surprise for Sakura later that night. When she came downstairs in a white summer dress he was nowhere to be found and a note on the table told her why and made her smile.

_Sakura,_

_I went to go get something Lady Tsunade told me she wanted me to take care of. I'm sorry I left without telling you I will be back in a few minutes. _

_-Gaara_

"I'll just go read until he gets back." She said as she picked up her book walking upstairs to her room. Sakura decided sitting on the balcony would be a great idea and walked outside letting the warm breeze hit her as she slid open the door. The balcony was large with two padded chairs on it along with a loveseat. Sakura sat in one of the chairs letting the breeze blow through her soft pink hair as she opened her book and began to read. She didn't hear Gaara's voice calling for her from downstairs nor did she notice when he walked up the stairs and leaned against the doorframe to the balcony smiling to himself as he watched her read her book. He stood there for a while until she sighed and stretched as she set down her book and leaned back in the chair.

"I'm back." He said and she turned to look at him smiling.

"Did you check on what Shishou wanted you to check on?" He nodded and she smiled.

"That's good. So what do you want to do now?" She asked and he smiled sitting on the loveseat as she stood and walked over sitting next to him. He put his arm around her and she smiled.

"I don't know whatever you would like to do Sakura." She smiled.

"We could go down to the cove and take a ride on the boat." He smiled and she laid her head on his shoulder. "Or we could just stay here for a while." He looked down at her and kissed her pink hair.

"We could do that." Sakura smiled and snuggled closer to him listening to the gentle sound of the water and the birds around them. They were quiet for a long time listening to the sounds around them and the calmness in the air. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was starting to sink lower and lower every minute as the sky started to turn a lovely shade of pink. Sakura shifted and Gaara looked down at her with a smile. "Are you hungry? I could make us dinner." Sakura nodded and started to stand next to Gaara who also stood. He took her hand and led her downstairs to the dining room where a table had been set and there were candles lighting the room which had been darkened. She gasped as she saw the romantic setting along with the platters of food that sat there still warm.

"How did you…"

"I had someone help me. Lady Tsunade had some hired staff that live nearby. They helped me prepare this for us." Sakura turned to him with a look of pure happiness on her face before pulling him in for a tender kiss.

"Thank you Gaara this means so much to me." She said as she pulled away still holding onto him and he to her. They went and sat down at the table as Gaara served her. The meal was large consisting of salad, fish, chicken, rice, soup, sushi, and a cake for dessert. Sakura was wide eyed throughout the whole meal and smiled at Gaara often talking about little things and just enjoying each other's company. When they finished Sakura stood to start to clear the dishes but Gaara stopped her grabbing her hand.

"Don't worry about them." She smiled and walked out of the room leaning on Gaara's arm. He looked at her and smiled she smiled back up at him and detached herself from his arm.

"Can you choose a movie for us to watch? I'm going to put on my pajamas." He nodded and walked into the living room as she walked upstairs. Sakura walked into their room intent on putting on her pajamas when Inner Sakura invaded her head once again.

_"Seriously? You are on your HONEYMOON! Corset! For Kami's sake the black corset!"_ Sakura blushed as she remembered the last time she had worn it and accidentally ran into a room where Naruto, Kiba, and Kankuro were. She walked over to her bag and opened it reaching to the very bottom before pulling out the corset and the black lace panties. She looked at them and sighed sinking to her knees on the floor.

_"I don't know if I can do this Inner." _Inner scoffed and egged her on until Sakura, defeated and compliant, walked to the bathroom to put on the offending garment. She went into the bathroom taking off the white dress and throwing it into the hamper along with her panties and bra leaving her naked and once again putting on the corset. She tied the strings and the bow on her chest before sliding on the panties. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable and she didn't mind it other than knowing its intent was to be taken off. She didn't mind that but she still felt a bit uncomfortable wearing it. Inner approved when she turned and looked in the mirror. Sakura was blushing and spotted a large fluffy robe that she immediately put on tying the sash tightly around her waist before walking out of the bathroom and down the stairs to the living room where Gaara stood. He turned to her and looked at her with an amused expression as she blushed.

"Why the robe Sakura-chan?" She blushed a little and looked at him.

"It's comfortable. So what are we watching?" She tried to change the subject but Gaara wouldn't let up putting down the movie he was holding and walking over to her sitting next to her.

"I don't think so Sakura why are you wearing it?" He asked again moving towards her to kiss her ear making her squirm a little.

"Uh I uh…" She was at a loss as Gaara made his way down her neck leaving a trail of warm kisses. She melted when he sucked on her mark softly making her breath hitch.

"Well if you won't tell me I'll just get rid of it and eliminate the issue." Sakura was about to tell him no but it was too late. Gaara had pulled back part of the robe exposing the top of the black fabric making his eyes go a little wide as he froze.

_"HOT DAMN! MOVE KID MOVE FOR KAMI'S SAKE MOVE! LINGERIE ALERT!" _Shukaku was screaming at him and Gaara complied making Sakura yelp a little as he picked her up bridal style and rushed up the stairs to their room before laying her gently on the bed. She was breathing quickly and he looked at her for a moment before kissing her heavily pushing her down onto the bed. His hands moved to her waist and undid the knot before throwing the robe onto the floor as he sat up and looked down at the gorgeous picture before him. Sakura was blushing in a black corset with red ribbon ad black lace panties that made his senses go wild. Her scent was wafting towards him blown by the slight breeze that came through the window that was slightly opened. Her figure shown in the dim light and he was in complete awe moving towards her neck kissing it softly while whispering to her.

"Now I know why Kankuro was blushing so much." He was undoing the ribbon now and Sakura was working on pulling his shirt over his head. She succeeded and threw it off of the bed kissing him again. His tongue plunged into her mouth and they battled for dominance with Gaara winning and lazily exploring her mouth. He had gotten the ribbon undone and pulled off the corset throwing it across the room to join his shirt before moving down to kiss her breasts. Sakura gasped when he gently took one bud in his mouth while rolling the other between his fingers. He kissed her again before moving to the other bud giving them equal treatment. Sakura was trying in vain to tug at his pants making him chuckle at her eagerness. She mewled softly when he nipped at her neck and tugged them off himself. They were both now only in underwear and Sakura was trying her best to get rid of that bit of clothing as well. He grabbed her hands and waggled his finger in front of her like she was a petulant child. "Now Sakura be patient." He breathed softly against her shoulder making her shudder as his hard chest pressed against her own. His hands ghosted down her sides to her hips stroking them softly as his head moved to place kisses down her neck and between her breasts to circle the spot around her belly button. The pale scar that lay near it was a constant reminder that she had been hurt and almost lost her life for him. He kissed it gently and softly. Nobody would know it was there unless they were looking for it specifically. He traced it lightly with his tongue and moved to swirl it around her belly button making her shiver again and lightly claw at his back. He chuckled at her slight moan as he moved back up to her breasts and circled each one with his tongue. She was stifling her small moans and he knew it. His fingers of one hand moved to her panties feeling that they were already moist. He ghosted a finger across them and made her shiver again as he leaned down to claim her slightly swollen lips in his own. She shuddered as he did it again before he moved the fabric aside and slipped a finger into her slick entrance. She moaned slightly into his mouth and pushed against him not satisfied with the light touches he was giving her. She squirmed and mewled a little as he moved his finger slowly out of her before replacing it. She was drenched and he could feel it lifting his finger to his lips and licking her essence off of it. He grinned like it was the most delicious thing in the world and moved to pinch and roll her sensitive nub between his fingers as her essence coated them. She was writhing beneath him as he enticed delicious moans from her holding her down with one arm keeping her from arching into his touch. He was driving her wild. She wanted more she needed it or she thought she would burst. After his fingers once again ghosted over her nether lips she decided she had had enough.

"Gaara stop teasing me please!" She pleaded tugging on his boxers once again. He chuckled and leaned down to her ear nibbling it before growling into it softly.

"Then tell me what you want." His voice was deeper and had the husky tone of lust on it. She could feel him pressed against her and tugged on his boxers again.

"You Gaara." She said and he pulled back to look at her. Her pink hair was strewn about the pillow and her skin was soft and pale in the moonlight. She was looking at him her eyes a deep emerald and glazed with lust. She could see his own eyes full of lust and passion as he looked down at her and gave her a smile before removing her panties and divulging himself of his boxers. Both articles were forgotten on the floor as he moved inside her with one swift motion. She groaned at the feeling of being filled and he let out a sigh of content at the sound. He started moving slowly but was urged to go faster by her persistent mewls and light clawing at his back. One thrust made her gasp out and clutch his shoulders. "There!" She said and he complied moving quickly once again and making her moan and mewl loudly as they both picked up rhythm. Their bodies gleamed with sweat and their breathing was loud and ragged as they panted in the moonlight. Gaara was close as was Sakura. Their speed peaked and Sakura cried out as she reached her peak with Gaara reaching his as her walls clamped down on him. He leaned down to kiss her as they rode it through before he collapsed beside her both spent and happily basking in the warmth they both felt. He pulled her close to him and kissed her softly as their breathing calmed down.

"Sakura I love you." He whispered closing his eyes as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too Gaara." She whispered back and they both fell into a deep sleep.

Morning came and Sakura blinked as sunlight hit her closed eyes making her open them. She sighed and shut them again content to lay in her husband's loving and warm arms. He was awake and gently stroked her hair, quietly watching her smile and lay still against his chest. She was perfect to him and he never thought he could be so lucky to have someone like her for a wife. Her pink hair was covering part of her face and he smoothed it back with his hand gently while rubbing her back at the same time. She smiled and moved into his touch enjoying his caresses. The slight breeze blowing in through the window was warm and enticing and eventually Sakura re-opened her emerald eyes looking up at Gaara lazily from her place on his chest. "G'morning." She said stretching a little. He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

"Good morning Sakura. What would you like to do today?" He asked and she laughed gaily leaning on his arm and kissing him softly.

"A bit early for that Gaara. Let's take a bath and get some breakfast before we start talking about that. I'm still half asleep." She murmured snuggling into his arm. He chuckled and picked up his wife in his arms, both still naked, before heading towards the bathroom and depositing her in the warm water of the bath he had gotten up and drawn before she had woken up. He had made sure it was scalding when he drew it so that now it was at a level temperature. She spluttered and popped her head up looking at him with mock hurt. "Oh that does it!" She said grabbing his arm and pulling him into the tub as well. He sat up and looked at her as she laughed happily making him smile as well. They were like two kids at play sometimes but neither minded. Gaara had never really played as a child and Sakura was robbed of that privilege at an early age when her mother was killed. They both grew up too fast and were making up for it. Sakura giggled and turned to let Gaara rub shampoo into her hair. Once their bath was finished and they were dressed (much to Gaara's disappointment) the duo walked down to the kitchen to make breakfast. Sakura's stomach was growling loud enough for Gaara to hear making him chuckle. She blushed and he kissed her softly.

"Hungry are we? Well I don't blame you we used up a lot of energy." She blushed even more and opened the fridge to see what was in there. The fridge was completely full and Sakura had a hard time picking what to make. She decided to get out a carton of eggs and some jam to make eggs and toast. It wasn't very interesting but it was what her growling stomach seemed to want. Gaara got out the skillet and started on the eggs as she popped some toast into the toaster and got out the butter and jam. She leaned against the counter watching her husband scramble the eggs. He was wearing a black shirt that showed off his toned arms and white shorts that made him look more relaxed than she had ever seen him. She couldn't think of a time when she had seen him in shorts. Her smile widened as she reached behind her and grabbed the camera sitting on the counter behind her turning it on and lifting it up taking a picture just as he turned to look at her. She snapped the picture and he blinked. She laughed as he smirked. "You know I never took you to be the honeymoon picture type." She grinned and put the camera down leaning over to put the finished toast on a plate to be buttered.

"I just couldn't resist." He rolled his eyes and turned back to the eggs as she continued to smile while buttering the toast. They each finished cooking and placed the food on two plates before sitting on the barstools at the island. Sakura and Gaara ate quietly occasionally smiling at each other. They finished their breakfast quickly and put the dishes in the sink to be washed by the cleaning staff later on. The birds were chirping outside and it made everything seem peaceful and perfect. Gaara took Sakura's hand in his and they walked outside where the sun was shining brightly on the white sand that felt so warm on their feet. Sakura had forgone her shoes and so had Gaara as they walked along the beach listening to the soft noises the ocean was making hitting the shore. Sakura grinned at him and he smiled back at her.

"So what are we going to do today?" He asked. She smiled and pointed towards the cliffs.

"Diving, shoji, and maybe a movie." He smiled and nodded.

"That sounds wonderful Sakura. So what should we do first?" She grinned and took her hand out of his running down the beach laughing. He shook his head and followed her as she threw off her shirt and skirt leaving her in her red bikini. He took off his shirt and ran to catch her as she suddenly sprinted into the trees obviously heading towards the cliffs above the water. He caught up to her as they raced through the trees with her laughter filling the air. The cliffs were just ahead and the trees were beginning to thin giving way to light that shimmered and shone through the trees.

END OF CHAPTER 56! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'M SO SORRY IT IS LATE! I PROMISE MORE SOON!


	52. Chapter 57

Saki- Ok everyone I have some slightly bad news.

Sasori- Bad for the readers you mean it's great for all of us.

Saki- Yeah anyways, we are going on vacation until July 1st, I will try my hardest to update during then but I can't promise anything.

Sasori- She'll try because she loves you all and we all love her so you should too.

Saki- Oh come on I'm blushing now!

Sasori- Everyone send my Hope Blossom a review giving her some love! She owns nothing.

Chapter 57

Sakura stood at the top of the cliffs with the wind blowing her hair like something out of a romance movie. She laughed and turned to Gaara with a huge grin.

"So do you want to go first or shall I?" The cliffs they were standing on were not that high above the water and the water below was not churning harshly. It was safe considering they would be jumping off of it soon.

"How about we jump together?" He said taking her hand in his. She smiled up at him and nodded.

"I hoped you'd say that." He smiled and they took a running leap off of the edge of the cliff. Gaara thought that short fall felt like eternity as he looked over at Sakura seeing her face full of mirth as she gripped his hand and closed her eyes before they hit the water. The sudden chill and rush of the water around their bodies made them let go of each other's hands and surface before turning to each other and laughing at the rush of it all. Sakura swam to Gaara and wrapped her arms around his neck as they both lightly treaded water while focusing only on each other. His eyes seemed to stare into her own with an understanding and depth that no one else's ever did. He cared about her more than anything and she knew it just by looking into his turquoise eyes.

Gaara could see the same love and affection that was in his eyes reflected in hers. The bright emerald orbs seemed to shine and shimmer in the sunlight. The two lovers stayed like this for a while enjoying the peaceful moment that was so much different than their everyday, stressful life. Being ninjas was a lifestyle and it was nice to take a break from it every once and a while. But, since it was a lifestyle, being away from it for two long made them want to return to it. Neither one was thinking of that as Sakura laughed and dove underwater with Gaara following behind her as they swam in the crystal water. The myriad of colors beneath them was proof that the water was teeming with life. The brightly colored fish tickled Sakura's toes and made her laugh as she swam. Gaara was smiling honestly for, what must have been, the longest time in his life. A small kiss from Sakura made him even happier as they swam back to shore where their towels sat on the beach. Sakura yawned and lay on the towel as Gaara picked up the camera he had brought down to the beach. He snapped a photo of her and she laughed turning towards him.

"Oh so it's a war now is it?" She grinned and grabbed the camera from him before taking off down the beach. He stood and followed as she spun around taking a picture of him as she ran. He soon caught up and took the camera as he kissed her. Sakura heard the camera flash and grinned into the kiss leaning forwards and taking the camera laughing as she ran down the beach with it. She turned to look for Gaara but stopped when she didn't see him. She nearly screamed when a pair of arms encircled her waist holding her against a hard chest.

"Did I startle you?" He asked smoothly kissing her neck as she sighed and rolled her eyes. He took the camera and let her go taking a picture as she laughed and spun around in a circle.

"That camera's going to be full of photos isn't it?" He smiled and she laughed walking over to his side and taking his hand as they walked down the beach.

After a few hours of laying on the sand and walking around the beach or swimming, Sakura and Gaara decided to head indoors to play some shoji and relax. Sakura had complained of feeling a little hot and they decided to get out of the sun and into the cool of the house. After a quick change of clothes they settled down onto the cushions in the shoji room. The game was played slowly and lazily with minimal talking between the two but a happy atmosphere none the less. After an hour of this they moved to the living room where Gaara put in a movie and popped some popcorn before settling next to Sakura with her nestled into his side.

The next few days seemed to fly by with lazy games of shoji, pictures being taken, heated nights, and lots of swimming and exploring in the cove. Soon it became time to leave and Sakura was rather glad to be going. She loved the little paradise they now owned but was eager to get back to Konoha to see her friends. Sakura had just finished packing her scroll into her hip pouch as a breeze blew through the room giving Sakura a shiver. It felt like it was going to rain.

"Oh I hope it doesn't rain. That would not be a good way to go home." Sakura said to herself. She walked quietly to the balcony before walking outside. The wind whipped her pink hair away from her face as she looked out over the cove. Gaara walked into their room looking for Sakura and saw her standing on the balcony. He walked over to her and noticed the slight crease in between her eyes as she looked out at the grey sky.

"It looks like rain doesn't it?" He stated and she nodded, her emerald eyes turning to him.

"We should get going before it decides to start pouring on us." He nodded and picked up his gourd placing it on his back as he wrapped his arm around her waist. The house was already locked up so they could leave right from the balcony. Sakura sighed as she felt them be lifted up in the air by Gaara's sand. He kissed her forehead and she smiled holding onto him. They traveled in silence for a while as the wind blew coldly around them creating a bit of resistance as they traveled through the air. He noticed that she seemed completely exhausted, as she yawned frequently even though she had just woken up. Gaara was a bit concerned. She was usually never this tired unless she worked a whole shift at the hospital. The sky was darkening quickly and Gaara hoped that it would not rain on them as they traveled back to Konoha.

"Was that thunder?" Sakura asked cautiously as she thought she heard a booming noise coming from behind them. Gaara looked at her and shook his head hoping that it was not thunder.

"We'll get back in time and if it does start to rain we can always run back." She nodded and continued to stand next to him on the sand as it moved swiftly through the air. As they traveled she was constantly reminded that they were lucky to have the privilege to have Gaara's sand available to them. It made traveling across long distances much faster. The journey seemed rushed as they stopped only for a short break ever trying to outrun the impending storm. Neither wanted to be caught in the rain. They had been through much worse but it was still a pain to be stuck in. So with a hurried pace they continued on riding Gaara's sand as Sakura's awareness seemed to slip even more. She felt exhausted and was trying desperately to find out why. She was running scans on her body with her chakra feeling for any fluctuations or abnormalities in her chakra paths. She became even more frustrated when her chakra turned up nothing and seemed to get lost or diminished as it returned to her center. It was as if her chakra was being diminished. She brushed it off attributing it to a lack of sleep or because of her stored chakra in her scar. It wasn't troubling her but the storm clouds looming overhead were. They were still a few hours from Konoha when Sakura felt a raindrop hit her face.

"Is it raining?" Her voice made Gaara look up as a raindrop hit his nose.

"It is just starting to. Do you want to stop and put on your cloak? It will keep you dry." Sakura nodded and he brought them down to the branch of one of the trees in the forest they were traveling over. Sakura dug in her pack for the scroll containing her cloak as well as Gaara's. She took them both out and put hers on. Sakura put her hood up as the rain started coming down harder.

"I guess we're running from here then." She said and Gaara nodded looking at her apologetically. She rolled her eyes and smiled starting off jumping across the tree branches with great speed. Gaara jumped next to her as they ran slipping into the easy motion they were so used to. Sakura liked it almost better than riding the sand because she could slip into her own thoughts as she ran. She liked feeling the slight sting of the rain on her cheeks as the forest passed her in a blur. Gaara watched her small smile as she ran and her furrowed brow as she almost slipped on a branch. His senses were heightened as he saw this, moving closer to her in case she should fall.

_"Damn this rain! I hate running in it the branches get slippery!" _She cursed in her head as she felt her foot slip a little on a branch. Inner laughed and Sakura inwardly groaned.

_"You're losing your edge for some reason."_ Sakura shook her head and kept running as the rain seemed to come down even harder as if to mock her.

_"I can't be losing my edge it's slippery and my chakra's acting weird you can feel it too." _Inner didn't comment and Sakura knew she could feel it. This bothered Sakura and she started focusing on it as she ran focusing less on her footwork. She set herself up for the inevitable slip up that caused her to fall backwards out of the tree. She braced herself for the impact of the ground as her eyes grew wide and she cursed herself for not paying attention. The hit never came as two strong arms caught her and she found herself looking at Gaara's furrowed brow.

"Sakura you're not paying attention what's wrong?" He asked and Sakura looked away as she stood. His arms still encircled her waist as the rain came down in torrents and thunder boomed above them. The lightning lit up the forest and Sakura shivered at the sound.

"I don't know something's wrong with my chakra!" She yelled over the thunderous roar the rain was providing. Gaara looked at her worriedly as the rain pelted them both. He picked Sakura up in his arms and jumped back up to the branches as she hung onto him. "What are you doing?" She shouted as thunder rumbled loudly through the forest reverberating off of the trees around them.

"I'm carrying you because you are going to hurt yourself and I don't want that to happen!" He yelled back as they ran. Both were now drenched despite the cloaks as the water and wind blew their hoods back and plastered their soaked hair to their faces. Sakura looked at Gaara's concerned face and saw the love and determination it held proving to her once again that he loved her with his whole heart and she really was his mate for life. The trip was harsh and Sakura was shivering badly as they neared Konoha. They were both completely wet and cold as the rain hit them in great waves accompanied by booming thunder and flashes of lightning that made Sakura jump in Gaara's arms and cling to his wet cloak. He cradled her like a child keeping her tightly against him as they dropped to the ground and ran towards the now visible gates of Konoha.

"Thank Kami." Sakura said and Gaara nodded sighing as he rushed through them. They quickly darted under Kotetsu and Izumo's guard stand shivering and soaked startling both ninjas.

"Sakura-san! Kazekage-sama! Did you get caught in this?" Kotetsu asked concerned upon seeing Sakura shaking violently in Gaara's arms as he set her down and held her close to him to try and give her his body heat. She nodded and Izumo handed them an umbrella as Gaara nodded to them.

"Tell Lady Tsunade we are back." Izumo nodded as Gaara opened the umbrella and held it above them before nodding to the two and walking with Sakura out into the rain. The umbrella shielded them but Sakura was still shivering. Gaara decided to start running through the streets towards her house towing her along with him. The cobblestone streets ran with rivers of water as the lightning lit up the sky. Not a person was in sight but laughter could still be heard coming from the warm and welcoming restaurants. He would have stopped and brought Sakura into one of them but she was shivering so violently he knew she needed to get changed into a dry pair of clothes. Something was wrong with Sakura. She kept scanning her chakra and he knew there was something confusing her. Something was not right.

_"I'll ask Lady Tsunade when I see her." _Gaara thought, as he turned onto her street. They rushed to her house quickly opening her door and slipping inside out of the rain. Sakura was shaking terribly and Gaara took the initiative to take off her cloak hanging it on a peg to dry next to his. Her clothes were also wet but were not completely soaked through. The packs were dry and she walked down to her bedroom placing them on the nightstand before taking off her damp clothing. She was still shivering violently as she stood there in her underwear. Gaara walked to their room holding his wet clothes in one hand only dressed in his boxers. He didn't see Sakura and knew she must be in the bathroom changing into dry clothes. He decided to do the same changing into a pair of his own dry clothes. He immediately felt better and waited as Sakura opened the door dressed in a pair of her dry clothes. She was still shivering and he frowned.

"That feels m-much better." She said trying her best not to shake. Gaara saw right through her act and sat her down on the bed. "I'm fine Gaara you don't have to baby me I'm a medic I know when I'm h-hurt." He ignored her and pulled her next to him grabbing a blanket to wrap around her as he did so. She looked at him sternly but he saw the softness in her eyes as she succumbed to the warmth. He leaned back on the bed and she curled up against his side shivering a little less but still coughing a little.

"You need to let others take care of you sometimes Sakura. You'll wind up in trouble if you don't." She nodded minutely as he held her close.

"I know Gaara I only ever let my guard down around you." For what seemed to be the millionth time the redhead found himself feeling like he didn't deserve someone as great as the kunoichi now resting peacefully in his arms. She was strong, beautiful, talented, compassionate, and one of the toughest people he knew. He could count on his hands the number of times he'd seen her cry and knew she never showed her weaknesses to anyone. She would keep going until she was either passed out or incapacitated. Her will to help other people was as strong as their love for each other. Gaara turned his head and looked down at his wife who was sleeping quite peacefully on his shoulder. Her mark peeked out from under the blankets and reminded Gaara that no matter what he would always look after her because she was his and he was hers. "Goodnight my blossom." She smiled discreetly and let him shut off the light as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Gaara woke up early the next morning and got out of bed quietly deciding to let Sakura sleep a little longer. He had just finished getting dressed when he heard a knock. He sighed and walked to the front door opening it and looking a little surprised when Lady Tsunade walked inside giving him a smile.

"I'm still not used to seeing you opening the door." She shook her head and sat down on one of the stools in front of the island.

"I'm still getting used to it myself. Would you like some coffee?" He asked and Tsunade nodded.

"According to Izumo and Kotetsu you got caught in the storm yesterday. They said Sakura was shaking pretty badly. She's resting now correct?" Tsunade gave him a hard look and Gaara nodded.

"She's better now that she's dry but I'm worried about something else." Tsunade gave him a questioning and slightly worried glance as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"What is it?" He sighed and sat down next to her at the counter.

"She was scanning her chakra over and over yesterday and was getting frustrated at what she was finding. She said something was wrong with her chakra." Tsunade looked at him with her brows knitted tightly together.

"Her chakra should not have anything wrong with it. I'll take a look at her." Tsunade stood and Gaara nodded standing as well as Tsunade walked to their bedroom where Sakura was laying. She looked a little pale but was sleeping soundly. Tsunade's face softened a little as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to Sakura. She felt a strange tug in her heart for this girl with the pink hair who had become engraved in her heart forever. Looking at her now she felt like she really was looking at her own daughter. Sakura moved a little bringing Tsunade back to her objective. She reached out a hand full of chakra placing it on Sakura's head to keep her asleep while she checked over her system. Tsunade's chakra entered Sakura easily running through her pathways and checking over every bit of them. Her chakra made a full circuit and returned to her. She pulled back suddenly as a small burst of chakra returned to her suddenly as she was removing her hand from Sakura's head. A very confused look crossed her face as some of her chakra had become confused and returned late to her body. It had all come back but it was as if it had gotten lost on the way. The blonde Hokage furrowed her brow and stood up quietly leaving the room as Sakura began to stir. She walked to the kitchen where Gaara was still sitting anxiously holding his coffee cup. He looked up as Tsunade smiled at him.

"Some of her chakra was blocking the path. She was storing it so that may be the problem. She's fine though." She said plainly and Gaara let out a small sigh of relief. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this but merely smiled. "So the Kazekage does have a weakness and a soft spot at last. I thought it was impossible." Said Kazekage smiled at his mother-in-law as she walked to the door and gave him a wave over her shoulder. "I will see you around Kazekage-san." She said jokingly before shutting the door to their house. Gaara smiled, relieved that Sakura was fine and that he could hear the shower running meaning that she had woken up. After a few minutes his wife wandered sleepily into the kitchen.

"Morning Gaara-kun." She said sleepily and he smiled at her pulling her close to him while kissing her forehead. She smiled happily and looked at him with a slightly amused expression. "Someone seems happy this morning." She joked. He chuckled and Sakura smiled hugging him happily for a moment.

END OF CHAPTER 57! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG AND IS KINDA SHORT! I'M OFF TO CAMP FOR A WEEK SO THIS WILL BE THE LAST UPDATE UNTIL I GET BACK!


	53. Chapter 58

Konan- We're back!

Saki- That was my line!

Konan- Sorry Saki-san but I got excited.

Saki- Here's a very late chapter for you! As always I own no Naruto or Naruto characters!

Chapter 58

"I'm just going to get some food! I'll be right back! Why don't you head over to Naruto's? He'll be happy to see you." Gaara looked at his wife as she zipped up her coat and kissed his cheek.

"Be careful." He said causing her to roll her eyes.

"You really have gone soft. I'm a kunoichi remember." Her eyes shimmered teasingly as she waved to him and headed down the path towards the market. He stood in the doorway watching her go before heading off towards Naruto's house.

Sakura sighed as her breath came out in a swirling puff of moisture that dissolved in the cool morning air. It was getting warmer in Konoha but nothing compared to the warmth of Suna. Sakura found herself missing Suna a little as she walked past a happy couple laughing as they walked down the street. Sakura smile and waved to them as they looked up and cheerfully waved back to her. _"That's one of the ways Suna and Konoha are the same I guess. The people are always so nice in both cities." _Sakura continued on through the streets until she came to the local market where a friendly face greeted her.

"Sakura it's been a while!" Kurenai smiled at her as Sakura smiled back embracing the woman as Kurenai embraced her.

"Kurenai-san it has been a while! Since my wedding I think! It's good to see you!" She smiled as Kurenai nodded and they both walked into the store.

"How have you been? We all heard about the attack on Suna how are you faring now?" Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"It's all cleared up but the paperwork was horrible. I was so bogged down with the hospital and work I barely ever made it home. Gaara was just as bad off having to deal with the council and all of the other paperwork that I didn't have to deal with. Between the two of us the work was overwhelming. I was lucky to get home at all!" Kurenai laughed and shook her head reaching for a bag of flour that lay on a shelf.

"I would hate to do that. To be honest things have been pretty much the same around here. Kakashi is still being his lazy old self but he's been on a few missions with Naruto and some others. Everything has been rather quiet lately. I think the rogues are afraid to act up." Sakura laughed and smiled at Kurenai.

"I guess that is a good thing and a bad thing. Good that there is no trouble but bad because that means you are most likely stuck with only B or C rank missions am I right?" Kurenai nodded and Sakura smiled. They walked down the produce isle picking up fruits and vegetables and idly chatting. As they passed the isle where the cereal was Kurenai looked over at Sakura.

"I forgot to ask Sakura, how was your honeymoon?" Sakura blushed a little as Kurenai winked at her but she regained her composure.

"It was lovely! We had our own private cove and a house all to ourselves that was huge. The air was so warm and there were so many things to do! It was really amazing." Kurenai raised her eyebrow and laughed.

"I bet you were tired. I mean what with all of the 'activities' you did." She winked again at Sakura making the kunoichi blush as the dark haired woman laughed again and patted her on the back.

"Don't worry Sakura I'm just teasing. But how is everything going with the elders in Suna?" Kurenai asked as Sakura looked at her confused.

"Elder's? Why would I have problems with them? Is something going on with the elders here?" She placed a box in her basket and continued walking with Kurenai following.

"No nothing's going on here but I'm surprised they aren't pushing you yet usually they do." Sakura was even more confused at Kurenai's words.

"Pushing? Why would they be pushing me, and to do what exactly? This isn't making much sense to me." Kurenai looked at her and smiled.

"Ah it's nothing. I only meant that usually they push high ranking officials to produce an heir at one point or another. At this point it makes little difference and I wonder why they still do it." Sakura stood there shocked for a moment but shook it off continuing to chat with Kurenai as they paid for their groceries and walked out into the cold. "It was good to see you again Sakura." She hugged her and Sakura smiled.

"It was good to see you as well Kurenai. Come to Suna some time!" She nodded and waved goodbye as she turned towards her house. Sakura's expression changed as she walked back to her house. She was confused. _"What does she mean an heir?" _

_"Well duh she means a little Gaara or Sakura running around the house!" _Inner commented making Sakura roll her eyes.

_"I know that! I mean why would she expect the council to be pushing for one already? I only got married a month or two ago."_ Inner shrugged.

_"You know that could explain your chakra mishaps. Maybe you're already knocked up! Oh a mini Gaara would be soooo cute! You know those strange dreams you've been having with the kids and being pregnant? They might be trying to tell you that you **are** pregnant!"_ Sakura froze in the middle of the street clutching her groceries so tight her knuckles started to turn white.

_"Pregnant? I don't think so I would be able to tell Inner."_ She shook her head and kept walking but the thought was weighing on her mind. She turned to go up the steps to her house when she heard a familiar voice calling her.

"Sakura let me help you with those!" She turned and saw the familiar smiling face of Shikamaru at the end of the stairs.

"Thank you Shikamaru. Come on in and stay for a while." He nodded and picked up some of her groceries following her inside and taking off his shoes at the door. "Just set the groceries on the counter." She smiled and put the bags on the counter already placing the cold items in the fridge. Shikamaru did as directed and started putting the food away in the cupboards.

"So Sakura are you going to tell me what was on your mind when I saw you walking up to your house?" He asked calmly, as he heard the rustling of bags still.

"You caught me in thought again huh? I never could hide anything from you very well." She smiled and finished putting everything in the fridge, placing the bags under the sink. "I might as well tell you I need to talk about it anyways." Shikamaru looked at her as she sat down at the counter and he took a seat next to her.

"What's on your mind Sakura?" He asked.

"I've been having these dreams. They're nice dreams and they make me so happy but I'm so confused. In the dreams there is always a child and I. The child is mine and Gaaras'. Kurenai asked me today if the council was pushing me for an heir yet and I thought it was weird that I've been having these dreams." Shikamaru's brow furrowed and he looked at her seriously.

"So you think you might be pregnant?" He stated calmly and Sakura sighed.

"I don't know Shika. I don't know anything right now. I would be able to tell if I was but I can't be sure. I don't want to worry Gaara so please don't mention it. It is probably just a stupid dream and I was checked by Shishou because of a mix-up in my chakra and she said it was fine. It's probably nothing but still I just thought about it." Shikamaru sighed and leaned back on the couch with his hands behind his head.

"Sakura, do you remember when we were in the Academy? When I found you on the roof looking up at the clouds and I was so surprised? I hadn't ever seen anyone take any interest in the clouds besides me and I had never seen anyone up on the roof before. Do you know what I thought then? I thought 'There's someone that thinks a lot, just like I do.' Sometimes your thoughts can get jumbled or scared. You need to take the time and sort them out carefully. Then you'll find out the truth from just a scared thought." Sakura thought about this and nodded sinking back into the couch.

"You're coming back to Suna with us right Shikamaru?" She said plainly and he gave a small smile.

"Was I that obvious?" Sakura smirked and nodded.

"I've known since the start. The others were a lot slower to catch on." He chuckled and smiled at her.

"That's exactly what I'd expect from Suna's top medic." She laughed and he chuckled as the mood increased dramatically.

"Sakura I'm back Naruto wasn't there. Oh Shikamaru great to see you." Gaara gave them a small smile and sat next to Sakura as Shikamaru smiled back at him.

"It is good to see you as well. I came over to ask when you are leaving. Since I intend to come with you." Gaara looked at him unblinking at this statement and nodded.

"Well in a day or two I think we need to get back soon or the elders will start complaining that we take too many non-business related vacations." Shikamaru shook his head and chuckled.

"Our elders do the same when Tsunade gets sidetracked." Sakura laughed and stood up drawing both boy's attention.

"Do you want some lunch? I can make whatever." Shikamaru shook his head.

"I was actually thinking we could go to Ichiraku's." Sakura smiled and looked at Gaara.

"That would be nice do you want to go Gaara?" He smiled and stood walking over to her.

"What are we waiting for?" Shikamaru smiled at the couple and walked to the door putting on his shoes and walking outside with Gaara and Sakura. They talked as they walked down the road, happily enjoying the company they were with. Ichiraku's was empty as they walked in seeing Teuchi and Ayame's faces light up at their customers.

"It's always a pleasure to see the faces of old friends here. Sakura, it's good to see you. I must say Naruto's missed your company greatly." Sakura smiled and sat on a stool next to Gaara. Shikamaru took a seat on his other side.

"It's nice to be back in Konoha for a while. I just wish Suna had an Ichiraku's but I guess that is a treat special only to Konoha." She smiled and Teuchi beamed handing her a steaming bowl of ramen surprising Gaara and Shikamaru who had not heard her order. Sakura looked at the ramen and giggled before laughing heartily along with Teuchi who was smiling. "You always know how to make me smile Teuchi." The boys looked at her confused as she began to eat the ramen.

"The first time she ever tried my ramen she ordered that kind and spit it all over Naruto. She hated the taste and said it was horrible. It turns out I accidentally added pepper to the wrong kind of ramen. She didn't want to eat here ever again but Naruto made her try the same kind of ramen a second time explaining that it was a mistake. She did try it and it became the only kind of ramen she would eat here until she became a Chunnin. I thought she would like it for old time's sake." Gaara smiled at Sakura as she ate the ramen and smiled happily back at him.

"In that case I need to try this ramen. I'll have a bowl." He said and Shikamaru nodded as well. Teuchi smiled as Ayame handed him two bowls of it which he gave to the boys.

"I promise you Teuchi the first ramen I will ever let my kids try will be Ichiraku's." Gaara stifled a small cough as he swallowed the ramen in his mouth and Shikamaru gave him a sideways glance.

"Ah so there's going to be a little one soon?" Ayame asked happily and Sakura shook her head.

"No but I want to have kids eventually I think. I've always liked children that and the council will no doubt start pressuring us for an heir." Gaara nodded realizing that Sakura was right. The council was already pressuring him he just hadn't told Sakura yet, not wanting to cause her any stress.

"Ah well when you do have a baby make sure to bring them here I just love babies!" Ayame said happily walking back to the kitchen where Teuchi was cooking the ramen.

"You know Shikamaru I seem to remember you saying you liked kids as well." Sakura said aiming a glance at him which he rolled his eyes at.

"I haven't even proposed yet!" Gaara looked at him with a smile which he returned.

"Finally." He said and they all laughed. They paid for the meal and waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame before starting the walk back to Sakura's house. Shikamaru parted with them half way, walking to his house. Sakura held Gaara's hand as they walked slowly through the streets, not talking but just enjoying each other's company. Sakura was preoccupied by the thoughts in her head and wasn't really enjoying the walk. Gaara noticed and stopped. "I can tell something's on your mind. We can go somewhere so you can think. I know that helps you." She looked up at him and nodded as she held onto him already knowing what he meant. His sand wrapped around them and they found themselves near the Konoha Bridge. Sakura knew where he was heading and started walking, her hand still in his. The forest was much cooler but it was also calming. They reached the clearing where the Cherry Blossom trees were and walked over to the middle where the sun was shining down. Sakura sat down and Gaara next to her.

"I just need to sort my thoughts, that's all." He nodded and laid back in the grass as she sat with her arms loosely around her knees. The air blew through the clearing rustling the grass as Gaara watched the clouds pass by.

_"It's sort of sad that we never get clouds in Suna. They add to the scenery." _Shukaku chuckled at this and Gaara exhaled quietly. _"I knew you'd show up."_

_"Damn kid that's pansy talk. You've lost your edge. You used to be so much more fun when you were younger." _Gaara scowled a little and continued to watch the clouds.

_"I killed people without a second thought. I was an empty shell of a person I even tried to kill my siblings. That was not a life. I will never forget what it was like."_ Shukaku growled at this and Gaara merely shut him out not wanting to hear the demon complain. Next to him Sakura was still deep in thought.

_"You know I could just help you out here and save us a major headache later." _Inner stated plainly and Sakura furrowed her brows.

_"What do you mean help me out?" _Inner tsked and continued.

_"Look instead of trying to sort through all of your thoughts just do a stupid pregnancy scan. You know how. Last time you were just doing a routine chakra scan but that doesn't show pregnancy. Shishou was doing the same thing. I'm just saying if you want a definitive answer on this whole 'having a kid' thing go ahead. Or you could just ask your husband, who's been sitting next to you quietly, if the council has said anything to him yet about wanting an heir." _Sakura looked over at Gaara who was watching the clouds. He caught her gaze and held it sitting up and looking at her through his red hair.

"What is it Sakura?" She sighed.

"You remember what I said about the council pressuring us for an heir?" He nodded worried about what she was thinking about. "Have they said anything to you yet?" She looked at him expectantly, her green eyes searching for an answer. He sighed and nodded.

"They asked me when I was planning to have kids a week or two ago. You were busy at the time with the cleanup after the attack and I didn't want to cause you any stress. I told them I didn't have a clue and to back off. They stopped after that so it's nothing to worry about. Why? What's the matter?" He looked at her, his eyes narrowed, and she sighed before lying down on the brittle grass that was still slightly brown.

"Nothing's the matter I was just wondering." He nodded and lay down next to her, watching the clouds beside her. Quietly, she laid a hand on her stomach, and one behind her head to look natural, as green chakra filled one of them. She held her breath as the chakra entered her and gave a small zap that made her hand fall limply to the ground catching Gaara's attention.

"What's wrong Sakura? I know something is on your mind, you can tell me." He sat up, looking at his wife, his turquoise eyes cold and worried.

"It's really nothing Gaara I just remembered something I forgot to take care of in Suna." His eyes softened and he gave a sigh of relief.

"That's nothing to worry about Blossom. Come on, it's still cold out here." He smiled and she took his arm smiling back at him as they walked back to her house through the cold air.

Later that night Ino dropped by with most of their friends and declared they were going to have a party before they left. This caused Sakura, with the help of Ino, Hinata, and Kurenai, to prepare a huge meal for everyone with snacks, courtesy of Ino who had brought all of the supplies.

"So I was helping Kakashi-sensei with a mission…"

"You mean you were working with me."

"..and some guy tries to mug us with a broken blade in some alley and almost blows our cover!"

"_You_ were the one who almost blew our cover by telling him he should leave or you'd hurt him and flashing your headband at the guy." Kakashi drawled casually, causing Naruto to turn on him and yell something about him being ungrateful for what he did for him. Kiba laughed at this and pointed out that he was the one who had to rescue them in the end when Kakashi and Naruto almost got themselves captured. This led to more laughter from the others including an amused smirk from Neji, who was sitting on the couch next to Tenten, and who was avoiding talking to anyone. All of the Rookie Nine were in her living room along with Shizune, the Sensei's, and Tsunade who had brought wine and sake for everyone.

"You know we never did get to see baby pictures of you Sakura. At your wedding I mean." Tsunade said looking at Sakura slyly.

"Oh well that's alright we don't need to see them right?" Sakura waved her off and set down the snacks hoping to create a diversion.

"I think we do." Kurenai said smiling, as Tsunade nodded.

"Yes I agree. Photo album time!" She grinned as Ino walked in holding three huge binders.

"I think this is all of them. Man your parents really did take a lot of pictures!" Ino said shaking her head. Sakura blushed and sat down as Gaara walked in the room.

"Don't worry Temari did the same thing with Kankuro and I. I swear she has an entire treasure trove of pictures." He whispered to Sakura, who currently was paying rather close attention to a cracker on the tray.

"Ok here we go!" Tsunade announced grinning as she opened the first binder to the first page where a huge picture of a few-moments-old Sakura sleeping in her mother's arms at the hospital.

"AWWWW!" The girls all melted exclaiming over how cute she was as Gaara chuckled at his wife's red faced expression. The other boys were also chuckling quietly as Tsunade moved to the next page where five more pictures of Sakura when she was a few days old were pasted. In every one she was fast asleep. Gaara looked at them with a small smile thinking that his wife had always looked adorable especially when she was asleep. The next page had a picture of Sakura with her eyes open and a little patch of pink hair on her head. This caused another chorus of aw's from the girls and a smile from everyone else including Shino. They all laughed at the picture of Sakura's little face screwed up in a frown as her mother was trying to feed her peas. The next picture made Sakura smile as she saw her mother with peas sprayed all over her face and clothes as baby Sakura laughed in her high chair.

"You were always just as feisty huh Sakura?" Naruto said with a grin and Sakura smiled.

"Oh here's a great one!" Tsunade said holding up the book where a small Sakura was standing looking very unstable as she tried to walk. The torso of a man kneeling on the floor could be seen in the corner and Sakura's blushing expression faded and softened. Gaara noticed as Tsunade turned the page where a picture of the back of a man's head could be seen holding onto Sakura as she giggled and reached for the camera over his shoulder. The next one made Gaara look at Sakura as he heard her gasp a little. There was her father holding her hand in the air as she giggled in his arms and he smiled happily. Two sets of green eyes were looking at the camera. One looking out from behind black bangs, and the other from under two pink pigtails. Tsunade turned the page and revealed a picture of her parents smiling at her as she lay on a small blanket looking up at a mobile.

"Sakura you were so tiny! Aww!" Tenten squealed over the picture as Sakura sat with a small smile on her face watching Tsunade turn the pages showing her crawling, eating, playing, and sitting on her parent's laps. In almost every picture her father was standing off to the side or her mother was watching her. The others were all exclaiming over the pictures as Sakura watched with a growing happiness. Soon the pictures changed to her on her first birthday, her face full of cake as her mother laughed in the corner and her father fed her. The others all laughed heartily when they saw a picture of baby Sakura sitting next to a tiny spikey haired baby who was happily holding onto a toy with Sakura. In the corner a blonde haired girl sat in her father's lap, squirming and looking angrily at the toy Sakura was waving in the air. They all looked at Ino who was red faced and Shikamaru who was also trying to hide a blush.

"Oh now we're getting somewhere!" Tsunade grinned and turned the page to something that made them all gasp and become slightly red faced. The picture was a huge one taking up both pages and showing a large group of people sitting on some stairs or standing behind the others. In the front, from left to right, was a spikey haired man holding a spikey, brown haired baby, sitting next to a brown haired woman, making up the Nara family. Then came the Haruno family with a black haired man, holding a pink haired girl, smiling at the camera while the baby held onto a dark pink haired woman's finger. A man sat next to them holding a blonde haired baby next to a blonde haired woman who was also smiling at the camera making up the Yamanaka family. Behind them stood a man with brown hair holding a baby with pudgy cheeks with swirls on them. He was next to a woman with brown hair making up the Akimichi family. A younger looking Jiraiya stood behind the Haruno's with Tsunade, who had made Jiraya hold a blonde haired baby who was waving his arms in the air that was no doubt Naruto. A man stood next to him holding a brown haired baby with red fangs on his cheeks next to a brown haired woman with the same fangs on her cheeks. At the end of the row stood a black haired family with a younger child near their feet and a small black haired baby in the woman's arms making up the Uchiha family. Everyone was smiling at the camera and looked happy.

"Wait is that you Tsunade? Haha it is! And Pervy Sage is holding me!" Naruto called out smiling happily as Tsunade laughed as well.

"My dad looks the same now as he did then." Shikamaru said avoiding the fact that he was in the picture in an adorable little vest with the Nara symbol on it. Of course Kiba didn't miss this and pointed it out making the shadow ninja blush. Neji and Shino were acting rather smug due to the fact that their families were not in the picture.

"Naruto you look as energetic as always!" Sakura joked smiling at the blonde. He beamed back at her. Tsunade turned the page again and burst out laughing.

"Oh my- you should-bwahaha!" Shizune looked at her concerned, taking the binder from her and bursting into laughter when she looked at the picture as well turning it to the rest of them resulting in a huge uproar of laughter. Sakura was leaning on Gaara for support as he chuckled as well and Naruto and Kiba were gasping for air.

"That is the funniest picture I think I've ever seen!" Ino gasped out wiping tears from the corners of her eyes as the laughter died down into giggles and sniffs. The picture was completely comical as Shikamaru's dad was crying out as his mother had stood up and appeared to be yelling at him. Shikamaru was grabbing onto his dad's ponytail and had climbed onto his shoulders yanking it down. Ino had apparently poked her dad in the eye and then fell onto her mother's lap as her dad was holding his eye and wincing heavily and her mom was clenching her teeth as she grabbed onto Ino and seemed to be keeping her from falling off her lap. Choji had slipped down in his father's arms and both his mother and father seemed to be scrambling to catch him. Naruto had apparently fallen onto Tsunade who had caught him. He looked rather happy pulling on the blonde's ponytails as he leaned on her large chest. Kiba had his mouth latched onto his father's hand and the man appeared to be yelling in pain. His mother was trying to pull him off of his father's finger. Sasuke had latched onto his father's nose and pulled it down while Itachi was laughing as his mother shot a glare at him. Sakura had decided to crawl off of her father's lap and proudly held a large slug in her hand. Her mother's face was one of horror as her father sat laughing in the midst of the chaos.

"Wow look at my mom's face! That's great!" Kiba laughed and pointed at his mother. "She always said I was a biter, but then again, most Inuzukas are." He grinned and Naruto laughed. After a while of pointing out things and laughing they turned the page and saw a toddler Sakura holding her dad's hand in the park and playing with him. The binder finished and they all settled down talking again.

"Well that was fun! You know I wonder what your guy's kids will look like." Ino said making Sakura, who was carrying empty plates and platters back to the kitchen, freeze and hunch up her shoulders.

"Personally I want to see a little boy with hot pink hair." Tenten joked and Naruto and Kiba winced as they heard the dishes being set down slightly hard in the kitchen.

"That would be tragic. Gaara I feel for you." Kiba said seriously putting his hand on the red head's arm who merely chuckled.

"You know I almost want to see a mix of red and pink in their hair." Kurenai said and Naruto nodded. Sakura walked back into the room and shook her head.

"What is it today everything seems to be about babies? Ayame asked me if I was going to have kids, we looked at the baby pictures, and now everyone's talking about it like I'm five months pregnant and sitting here rubbing my stomach!" She looked a little frustrated and Ino laughed.

"Well I hope we will be doing that in a few months!" Sakura rolled her eyes as Tsunade stood up and stretched.

"Did anyone happen to notice exactly when Lee, Kakashi, Shino and Gai left?" The conversation stopped and they looked around confused.

"Huh I didn't notice they were gone." Choji said and Neji seemed to be thinking he should have left as well.

"Well I am going to head home. I'll see ya later Forehead!" Ino said playfully and Sakura nodded hugging her friend as she left. The others all followed until only Shikamaru, Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune remained.

"I'm so glad I got to see you Sakura-chan, you too Gaara! I'll see you tomorrow!" Naruto said enthusiastically hugging Sakura and shaking Gaara's hand before leaving with Shikamaru who had waved to them as he left. Sakura turned to Shizune and gave her a hug as the woman smiled.

"I always enjoy seeing you Sakura." She smiled as Sakura turned to Tsunade and gave her a big hug which Tsunade returned.

"I'll see you tomorrow Sakura." Sakura nodded and watched as the pair left leaving her with Gaara in the house.

"You coming to bed?" She asked casually and Gaara nodded sleepily.

"They wear you out don't they? I never knew people could do that." Sakura laughed and took his hand walking to their room and changing into her pajamas before crawling into bed alongside him.

"That's the Rookie Nine for you." She smiled and kissed Gaara lightly before curling up into his arms and falling fast asleep.

END OF CHAPTER 58! I AM SOOO SORRY! I KNOW IT'S LATE! CAMP RAN LATER THAN EXPECTED! GOMENSAI!


	54. Chapter 59

Saki- Hey everyone! So I have been reminded by a friend of mine (cough *frostbird* cough.) That at the beginning of Chapter 1 I said that this was a small practice story.

Deidara- This is the exact opposite. What she meant to say was this will be a long in depth story, un.

Saki- Yeah sorry about that! Anyways! Enjoy this chapter!

Deidara- She owns no Naruto or Naruto characters, un!

Chapter 59

Sakura woke up early looking over to see Gaara still asleep in the bed. She quietly sat up on the edge of the bed and tiptoed across the room so as not to wake him. Her steps were soft and almost silent as she walked down the hall to the kitchen. She had decided to make her breakfast early since her stomach was growling quite loudly and she didn't want to wake Gaara. After a quick inspection of the fridge she decided upon miso soup and rice balls pulling the rice balls out of the fridge from the night before and heating them up in the microwave. She had already gotten out the miso soup and put it in the microwave after the rice balls were done. She sat down in the living room with the television on flipping to the news and listening to it absentmindedly as she munched on her breakfast.

Gaara had woken up to the smell of food cooking. Seeing that there was no kunoichi lying next to him he assumed she had woken up early and made herself breakfast. He yawned and stretched before standing and walking to the door leading to the hallway. He walked into the kitchen but didn't see his wife. He could, however hear the television in the other room and assumed she was in there watching it. There were two containers of food on the counter, one with miso soup in it, the other with rice balls. He picked them both up and placed them in the microwave setting the time and waiting for it to heat up. He heard movement in the other room and a quiet sigh proving his assumption that Sakura was watching television.

The microwave beeped and Gaara pulled out the food placing the soup in a bowl and the rice balls on the plate where the bowl rested. He walked into the living room and saw his wife curled up on the sofa with her head on a pillow looking lazily at the television screen.

"Are you alright Sakura?" He asked concerned at her slightly creased brow.

"I'm fine I just feel completely drained all of a sudden." She gave him a smile and he smiled back sitting near her feet on the couch eating his breakfast as they watched the news.

_"The perpetrator has yet to be caught. In other news there is reason to believe that there will be a shift in the political standing in the Land of Iron…" _Sakura tuned out the senseless chatter of the television saying things about foreign politics that never affected anyone. The Land of Iron was always changing political powers and she never bothered with their news anyways. In truth nobody did except for the news station on a slow day apparently. She gave a small yawn and stretched a little on the couch hitting Gaara's leg with her foot by accident. He caught hold of her ankle before it hit his almost empty soup bowl. She looked up to see him staring at her as he set his soup bowl and plate on the coffee table in front of them.

"Oh sorry Gaara I didn't mean to hit you I was just stretch-Hahahaha! No s-stop I'm r-really ticklish!" She burst out laughing trying to squirm out of Gaara's grasp as he tickled her feet with a feather duster Sakura had left on the small table near the couch. He watched with a smile as his wife was brought to tears through her laughter burying her face in the pillow as her body shook with laughter and she tried to get away from his feather duster.

"I had no idea you were that ticklish." He said with a smirk as she continued to giggle and gasp for breath before sitting up on the couch and wiping away the tears in her eyes.

"You are so mean!" She said with a smile sticking her tongue out at him before standing and bringing his empty bowl and plate to the kitchen. She noticed that she still felt drained even though she had a wonderful night's sleep. "So are we heading back to Suna tomorrow or tonight?" She asked Gaara. Gaara walked into the kitchen and looked at her quizzically.

"Tomorrow morning I think. We've been away for over a week." She nodded and sighed walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his solid figure. Gaara stiffened but did the same holding her and loosening up as she had taught him to do. "What is it Sakura?" He asked looking down at his smaller wife realizing something was wrong.

"It's nothing I guess I'm kind of missing Suna." Gaara smiled and stroked her hair.

"I know. But when we're in Suna you miss Konoha a lot as well. I can tell that you do. I miss it too sometimes but Shikamaru will be in Suna and so will Temari and Kankuro and I." Sakura smiled and nodded letting him hold her for a bit longer.

"We'd better get going. Naruto wants to train today and I have to say goodbye to everyone." Gaara nodded and followed her to their room where they got ready for the day.

"Sakura-chan! Gaara! You guys finally decided to show up!" Naruto beamed at them from across the training field. They were far back in the woods where a large waterfall fell into a lake that Yamato had made for Naruto a long while before. It was a beautiful spot and Sakura always loved training here. Even though it was still cold outside the field seemed warm. Gaara smiled at the blonde as he walked over to the two and gestured towards the training field.

"So do you want to get started?" Sakura asked slipping on her signature black gloves. Naruto grinned and got into a ready position.

"You bet!" Sakura shot forward with a punch that Naruto dodged as Gaara disappeared into a flurry of sand appearing behind Naruto as he hit the blonde in the back with a punch pulling back and dodging a hit from the Naruto behind him as the clone he had just hit disappeared into smoke. They continued for an hour with Sakura using her chakra punches on the ground and all of them dodging and weaving through the attacks brought on by the others. Gaara was only using his sand for clones and transportation and likewise none of them were using weapons or special moves other than shadow clones and other basic ninjutsu. Unfortunately for the boys Sakura's chakra punches was a form of basic ninjutsu. She was sending an onslaught of theses punches towards the boys that they just couldn't avoid. A large rift made Naruto fall to the ground giving Sakura the opening to punch him sending the blonde flying into a nearby tree. Gaara soon found himself panting as Sakura grinned and stood up triumphantly walking over to where Naruto lay intent on healing him. The blonde grinned at her and let her heal him as he sat up.

"You've still got it Sakura-chan." She smiled and stood up with her hands on her hips.

"I'd hope so! It wouldn't do for Suna to have a head medic who wasn't good with chakra." She smiled and Gaara looked at her fondly. He was the only one without a scratch being that his sand blocked every blow. Sakura helped Naruto up and the trio stood there for a moment looking up at the sky as a cloud passed over.

"You know if Shikamaru goes cloud watching when it's windy out in Suna he'll get sand in his eyes!" Naruto said shaking his head as Sakura laughed.

"I forgot about that! Well I guess he'll be too busy with Temari to go cloud watching on windy days. We do have clouds in Suna but it never really rains." Gaara watched as Sakura smiled and turned to leave the training fields. The group walked back to Konoha in good spirits talking and laughing as they went to meet their friends for some barbeque.

Shikamaru was outside the barbeque place with his hands in his pockets waiting for the others to arrive. He didn't need to wait very long as he could hear Naruto's voice for at least three minutes before he actually saw the blonde. Sakura rounded a corner with Gaara and Naruto next to her smiling when she saw Shikamaru.

"Hey Shikamaru! Are the others inside already?" He nodded and Sakura smiled walking in as the hostess smiled at them.

"We got you a separate room I'll show you how to get there." She smiled and walked away having Sakura and the others follow her to a large sliding door, which she opened, revealing the entire rookie nine sitting around the table waiting for them. Sakura smiled and walked in sitting next to Shikamaru who had taken a seat next to Naruto. Gaara sat next to Sakura who was smiling like she was the luckiest person alive. Everyone was there including Shino and Neji who even seemed to be enjoying themselves. A massive amount of barbeque was cooking in front of them on the large circular cooktop. Everyone had a glass in front of them and some waitresses were currently filling them with champagne. In a circle around the table sat Sakura then Shikamaru, Naruto, Choji, Ino, Tenten, Neji, Lee, Shino, Hinata, and Kiba who sat next to Gaara. The rookie nine was only missing one member that had been missing since the group was young. They never paid any attention to this and had adopted Gaara and his siblings into the tight group early on. This filled any sort of hole left by the missing member. After all of the glasses were filled Choji stood and raised his glass to the others.

"I propose a toast! To Shikamaru for finally plucking up the courage to go to Suna and ask Temari to marry him! Since she will obviously say yes, congratulations Shikamaru and may you be happy with her!" He smiled at his friend and the others all raised their glasses as well.

"To Shikamaru!" They all said happily before taking a sip of the champagne. Shikamaru smiled at them as they all laughed and began to dig into the barbeque.

"We're gonna miss you man." Naruto said to Shikamaru as he patted his back.

"I'm going to miss you guys too." He said with a smile. Sakura patted his hand and he turned to her seeing her and Gaara looking at him with welcoming faces.

"We'll be there Shika don't worry you're not leaving everyone." She smiled and Shikamaru did as well nodding before joining in on the conversation Naruto was having with Kiba over some show they saw on television. Sakura looked around and saw Neji giving Tenten a piece of meat on her plate as the weapons mistress looked at him a bit surprised and the Hyuga pretended not to notice. She also saw Ino smiling at Choji as he talked with her with a light blush on his cheeks. Lee was talking happily to Shino, whether the Aburame was listening or not Sakura couldn't tell. It was very hard to judge his emotions when he always wore those black glasses. She did catch him seem to smile at her over his collar. She blinked and looked at him again but he had turned to look at Lee instead. The conversation died down as the waitresses came back with rice and sushi as well as soup and more meat for their barbeque.

"This is amazing you guys thanks for putting this all together Ino!" Sakura said happily as she poured some soup into her bowl. Ino smiled and nodded to her.

"You can repay me by making me your kid's godmother some day!" She smiled and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Back to that again Ino-pig?" She questioned pointing a chopstick at the blonde in jest. Ino laughed and grinned mischievously at her.

"You bet Forehead!" Sakura rolled her eyes as Shikamaru chuckled and returned to his food.

"What was that for Shika?" She asked the shadow nin, one questioning eyebrow raised.

"What was what for Sakura? I didn't do anything." He said plainly his eyes closed as he calmly sipped his soup. She rolled her eyes and bumped his arm causing some of the soup on his spoon to fall on his hand. He looked at her skeptically and returned to his soup sipping. The conversation picked up again as everyone slowed their eating until only a few were grazing the bits of food on their plates. The waitress put it all on Lady Tsunade's tab when Sakura told Ino that Tsunade would gladly pay for it. Naruto chuckled and they all left in good spirits. When they were outside Tenten was the first to hug Sakura and Gaara saying her goodbyes.

"Let me know if you ever need a weapons mistress helping out in Suna!" She smiled and Sakura nodded as Neji nodded to them both before leaving to presumably walk Tenten home. Lee was after her of course making it a big deal.

"Sakura let the springtime of youth shine upon you in Suna and let you have a wonderful life with Gaara!" He smiled and Sakura gave him a small hug making her smile as well as he gave her the nice Gai pose and turned to follow Neji and Tenten. Ino and Hinata hugged Sakura and Gaara before saying goodbye to them both with Ino's added,

"I'll see you at your baby shower Forehead!" Followed by Sakura's jest of,

"And I'll see you at your wedding Ino-pig!" This made Choji blush as he hugged Sakura and she smiled at him fondly.

"I'll miss you Sakura come back soon!" He said with a smile as he waited for Shikamaru.

"I'd better spend some time with him today it's gonna be tough with me leaving. I'll catch you tomorrow." He said to Sakura and she nodded as Gaara did as well. Shino gave them a small nod and a simple,

"Safe travels." Sakura thought it was a lot coming from the stoic bug ninja. He only ever really talked to his own team mates and even then he was quiet. Kiba was of course very boisterous in his goodbye hugging Sakura and Gaara and then telling them he would come to Suna soon with Akamaru. Akamaru in turn gave Sakura a big lick on the cheek and she smiled at the dog petting his head.

"I'll miss you too Akamaru!" He barked and Sakura smiled as Kiba waved goodbye to them. Naruto looked at the pair and smiled with his usual mischievousness.

"You know I'll come to Suna soon. I'm really gonna miss you guys." Sakura teared up a little and ran to Naruto holding him close and smiling against his tall frame.

"I'll miss you too Naruto. You're my team mate so I know wherever I am I'll have you to count on. You know you have me as well. I'll see you soon Naruto." She said and pulled back smiling at the blonde. Gaara came over and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder looking at the blonde with a fondness Sakura knew was reserved for close friends and family.

"I'll miss you as well Naruto. You are always welcome in Suna." He nodded and smiled at the two before turning and giving them a huge wave and a grin as he walked away. Sakura was suddenly jarred back seeing him do the same thing as an Academy student to Iruka, as a genin countless times, and as he grew until she blinked and saw him as he was in front of her giving her the same grin he always did with the same wave she was used to seeing. She realized she really did miss not having Naruto around no matter how annoying he could get. She shook this off as she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked at her red haired husband who was giving her a heart melting smile that was small but as sincere as anyone else's.

"Shall we go home my lady?" He asked and Sakura laughed.

"Yes we shall. Temari needs to stop trying to make you into a perfect gentleman. I married a ninja who was already a gentleman without all of the false airs." She smiled and he chuckled putting his arm around her shoulder as they walked back to her house with a smile on both of their faces. While walking through the market they saw Ayame talking to a man at a cart stall about some herbs he was selling. She saw Sakura and Gaara and ran over smiling happily at them.

"Sakura! I'm happy I caught you before you left! My father wanted me to give you this I was just on my way to your house to give it to you!" She handed her a large bag full of what appeared to be bags of freeze dried ramen. "Just add water to them and heat them up. My father dried his best ramen for you and said he has specific cooking instruction in there. A little taste of Ichiraku's in Suna." Sakura smiled and thanked Ayame giving her a hug and waving goodbye to her as she returned to the market stall. Gaara smiled down at Sakura as they walked down the road to her house. As she was unlocking the door Gaara picked up a box that was sitting on her steps.

"Seems like someone else wanted to give you something." He said holding the box out to her. She looked at it and screwed up her face a little.

"Huh that's odd. Oh well I'll open it when I get inside." She opened the door and walked in going to the bedroom to bring their packs into the kitchen. "I'm going to pack some food for the trip to Suna since we are going to be running this time and it will take longer." Gaara nodded as she added some of the standard food ration packs to their bags. "I'm sorry it's nothing fancy just standard food but I am bringing three bentos for dinner one night. Oh and some fruit that doesn't need to be refrigerated like some apples and bananas. Is that alright?"

"Yes that will be fine." Gaara said casually from his place in the living room. He had picked up the photo album that still lay on the table turning through the pages to the one where Sakura was being held by her father. His eyes were exactly like Sakura's. They were the same color but there was more to it than that. He could tell that they held the same determination and pride that her eyes always showed. He had black hair that hung down in his face a little and was in a slightly messy style. It stuck up a little in some spots and was generally messy like his own style. It gave him a playful sort of look. He had a gentle sort of look to him but had very toned arms showing that he was in shape. His smile was genuine and kind and Gaara knew that a lot of people must have liked seeing it. He saw that same smile on Sakura's face a lot but especially when she was working in the hospital with patients. He looked like a nice man and Gaara wished he could have met him.

"Here I don't know where you want me to put the food in your pack." Sakura said walking into the living room where Gaara was now sitting on the couch casually as he turned on the television. She noticed the photo albums on the table and picked them all up setting them on top of an open scroll on the floor. She sealed them in it and then placed the scroll in her pack. "I meant to take that last time. I guess I overlooked them." Gaara looked at her with a smile and she raised an eyebrow. "What's with the smile?" She asked, slightly amused.

"Nothing I didn't notice I was smiling I guess it just happened." She laughed and walked back to the kitchen holding their packs.

"Ok well I don't have anything planned for dinner so I guess we can just make something if we get hungry. Personally I fell full from that barbeque." She patted her stomach as she walked back into the living room where Gaara made room for her on the couch. She sat down and drew her legs up next to her before leaning on the armrest and lazily watching the show that was on tv. "I remember watching this somewhere what's it called?" she said after a moment. Gaara picked up the remote and hit the channel button.

"Faded Promises." He said and she nodded.

"It was on a few weeks ago. This is actually a pretty good movie, but their fighting styles are so off it's almost comical. No ninja would fail to block that unless they were a genin." She pointed out as one of the ninja's fell victim to a rather slow moving kunai. Gaara smiled a little as she laughed at another ninja who comically rolled his eyes back into his head as he fell before twitching on the ground.

"They should hire real ninjas to do this. Better yet have someone with a camera follow a ninja on a low class mission. Then they'll get more realistic action than this." He said, and Sakura nodded, still giggling.

"Do you think I could go to the hospital real quick? I want to go and see some of the patients and nurses." Sakura said after a while. Gaara looked at her with a smile.

"Do you want me to come? Or I could go and talk to Shikamaru." Sakura smiled.

"You should go see Shika. I know the hospital will bore you. I'll go over to his place when I'm done I want to talk to his mother about something." Gaara nodded and kissed her forehead before she stood up. "See you soon." He smiled.

"See you soon." She waved and walked out the door after putting on her coat and shoes. The air was still chilly and reminded Sakura that it was just starting to become spring. She walked down the road taking in the familiarity of the town unlike the sometimes foreign streets of Suna. The people were talking to each other and creating the usual chatter on the market road taking things easy and slow as always. Sakura smiled and picked up a fresh tomato sitting on a cart of someone she knew.

"Ah Ms. Are you interested in our tomatoes?" He said happily as he turned around with his eyes closed as Sakura remembered him doing many times before.

"Yes Toni I was looking for some for supper tonight." She said happily. Toni opened his eyes and broke into a huge grin.

"Why Mrs. Sakura! 'Ow 'ave you been?" Toni asked in his usual heavy accent. Sakura smiled and laughed.

"I have been great Toni and you? How are Mati and the grandkids?"

"Ve are all good! Vhen you got married in Suna ve all vhatched zee ceremony! Mati vas crying at zee end of it all! Ve all had a big celebration! Practically all of Konoha vas celebrating! You could hear people cheering for miles around!" Sakura laughed and handed Toni the five tomatoes she decided to get and he placed them in a bag for her before accepting her money.

"I hope you and Mati have a chance to come to Suna soon!" Toni nodded.

"Mati vants to go for zee moon festival and zee sand festival. I hope ve can zey are just as good as Konoha's Cherry Blossom festival!" Sakura smiled and waved to Toni as the old man waved back and watched her leave down the market road. Sakura was in good spirits as she approached the hospital seeing a familiar ninja walking into the hospital.

"Iruka-sensei!" Sakura called running up to the man as he turned looking rather bewildered.

"Sakura? It's great to see you!" He said as the pinkette stopped in front of her smiling former teacher.

"It's great to see you too Iruka-sensei! How are the new academy kids?" She asked and he sighed.

"I'm coming to visit one here actually he got a nasty flu virus and had to stay over here until he gets better." Sakura nodded and smiled at her old sensei. "You know Sakura you seem different from the person who married the Kazekage. You look really good like there's a certain glow to you almost." Sakura smiled and shrugged.

"The sand in Suna exfoliates your skin so well." Iruka laughed and they continued on inside. The secretary looked up and saw Sakura smiling as she walked in the doors. Sakura said goodbye to Iruka and walked over to the bewildered secretary with a smile.

"Hey Kiko can you see if exam room 316 is open? I have something I need to test." She nodded and typed it into her computer.

"Exam room 316 is open and is not scheduled to be used today. I can reserve it for you if you'd like." Sakura nodded.

"Thank you Kiko. Send an announcement to the staff I would like to see them all again before I leave." Kiko nodded and started typing again as Sakura walked away. Sakura was happy to be in a familiar hospital where she had spent many nights and days up to her elbows in blood and usually saving someone's life. She had walked these halls a million times and the pictures on the walls were all familiar to her. This is why she so abruptly stopped in front of the children's ward that she helped decorate and design when she was still only a student under Tsunade's care. A huge collage decorated the wall to the children's area that she knew was not there when she had left. She was amazed to see that in every picture she was there. Her hand went up to her mouth and she froze taking in every picture that hung on the wall. There were pictures of her nursing patients and smiling with them along with pictures of her next to children's bedsides and in the play area reading them stories while they sat on her lap. There were others of her coming out of surgery with an exhausted smile on her face or hugging a patient as they smiled at her. There were even a few of her passed out on a couch in the nurse's longue or fast asleep next to a young patient whose parents could not stay with them. There were a few of her in the nursery and shaking hands with various diplomats and medical officials including quite a few of her and Tsunade side-by-side laughing and smiling as they walked down the hall or were examining things. She knew that most of these pictures were taken by other doctors and nurses or patients that wanted a picture with her. There was one picture in the middle of her in her Jounin vest and medical outfit smiling next to Tsunade and the rest of the Rookie Nine that was taken after she passed the Jounin exams. A few others of her bloody and bruised but smiling triumphantly as she returned from a mission. There was one large framed picture in the middle of the collage of her in her white lab coat looking over her shoulder as she walked giving the camera a peace sign with her tongue sticking out and her green eyes smiling at the camera. Under it there was a plaque with the words: "Kaze-hime Sabaku no Sakura; formerly Sakura Haruno; Konoha's prized medic and adopted daughter of their fifth Hokage Tsunade Senju. She has saved countless lives and left a huge impact on the hearts of all in Konoha. We owe her so much. To Konoha Hospital's own pink haired medic; We will never forget you Sakura." To the left of this was a picture that was taken at her first wedding in Konoha with her standing next to Gaara with a huge smile on her face as she held his arm and looked up at him and he at her. Under it was a picture of her at her second wedding in Suna holding her head high as she stood next to him as the new Kaze-hime.

This all brought tears to her eyes and she smiled wiping them away and continuing down the hall to where exam room 316 was in a secluded wing of the hospital at the end of the hallway. She sighed and opened the door walking in and turning on the lights before shutting and locking the door and setting her tomatoes down on a table in the room along with her coat. She then pulled aside the curtain shielding the exam table from the door and walked behind it shutting it again and turning around.

"I'd better start. This is not going to be easy." She sighed and moved to get started.

END OF CHAPTER 59! REVIEWS! MWAHAHAHA! CLIFFY! SORRY IT CAME SO LATE! I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AGAIN! AND I HAVE OTAKON ON FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY! LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING! I WILL TRY AND MEET YOU SOMEWHERE AT THE KON!


	55. Chapter 60

Saki- Hey everyone sorry about the delay! Otakon just ended and I was busy with my cosplay.

Sasori- She chose to be me of course.

Hidan- She should have gone as me.

Saki- Ehehe Sorry guys I actually want to cosplay you Hidan! I'm planning on it! I still love you guys!

Hidan- Damn right Saki! Here is Chapter 60! She owns nothing biotches!

THIS CHAPTER DEDICATED TO FreeSkittles

Chapter 60

Sakura typed the needed information into the computer making sure everything was how it should be in the room. She then walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a syringe and a needle along with an alcohol swab. She swabbed her arm above the vein and stuck the syringe in pulling up on it and drawing blood into the chamber until it was full. She then sealed the hole and took the needle out throwing it into the hazardous material bin on the wall. She took the vial of blood and placed it in the machine hooked up to the computer letting it scan the blood. _"Now I wait."_ She sighed leaning back in her chair and staring up at the ceiling. The machine was whirring next to her quietly and made a small beep to signal it was done. Sakura picked up the vial and set it next to her on the table as the computer scanned the results categorizing them and listing them in order as it sent them to the printer which started printing out the pages. Sakura walked over and picked the pages up paper clipping them and putting them in the bag next to her tomatoes before picking up the blood and tossing it into the hazardous materials bin as well. She then picked up her shopping bag and walked out of the room never once looking at the paper.

_"Well aren't you going to look?" _Inner pestered her and Sakura shook her head.

_"I don't want to look until I get home ok?" _Inner sighed but gave up as Sakura turned down the hall to the conference room where she knew the doctors and nurses would be waiting to say hello to her. She took a deep breath and opened the door to see the room packed full of people sitting or leaning against things and generally just talking to each other casually. They all stopped and smiled as Sakura walked in and set her bag down on the couch nearest to her.

"I'm so glad to see you all again." They all laughed as she began to make her way through the people saying hello to each person and then talking and laughing with them like old times. A few left to go deal with things but most stayed and chatted with her until they had to go off their break. The last few sat down on the couches with Sakura smiling and chatting idly like old times.

"Man isn't this a familiar scene. It really has been different without you." One of the doctors said sipping his coffee. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah it seems like yesterday I was running in here telling you to get up and get down to surgery." He laughed as the other doctor set down his coffee.

"So how is it in Suna?" Sakura shrugged.

"It's nice. I love the hospital but it is a bit unfamiliar still. It will take some getting used to but it is shaping up really nicely. I must say the injuries tend to be the same though." The doctors laughed and nodded.

"Broken bones and scrapes are universal I suppose. Though I highly doubt you've had to treat anyone for poison ivy." Sakura shook her head.

"I have had a few scorpion bites though." They chuckled again and settled back on the couches.

"So what's with the result papers in your bag?" One of the doctors asked pointing to the papers tucked into her bag of tomatoes.

"Ah well I wanted to test something while I was here. It wasn't urgent but it was something I was curious about." The doctor nodded and Sakura was glad he didn't press for more details. She was not ready to look at the paper yet.

"Well I'd best be going my shift's going to start again soon. It is always good to see you Sakura." He smiled and shook Sakura's hand before leaving the room. The other two did the same and waved a happy goodbye to her. Sakura picked up her bag and sighed before walking out of the room and down the halls to the front of the hospital. She exited into the chilly air and began her walk towards Shikamaru's house. A few people waved to her in town but none stopped her to chat and for this she was grateful. Finally she reached his house and walked up the path to his front door. She knocked and heard his mother call her in.

"Sakura! Gaara said you would be coming! Come on into the living room the boys are in the shoji room talking with Shikaku." Sakura nodded and took off her shoes before following Yoshino into the living room as she shut the sliding door. "Now have a seat and I'll get some tea. Then we can talk." Sakura nodded and thanked her setting her bag down next to the couch and taking a seat. Yoshino returned with the tea and some biscuits setting them on the table and pouring Sakura a cup before relaxing on the couch. "So Sakura what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Sakura smiled and set down her tea after taking a sip.

"I was wondering if you could take a look at something for me. I only ask because I don't want to be the first to look." Yoshino looked at her concerned but nodded taking the papers from Sakura as she handed them to Yoshino. She looked them over her face turning to one of surprise as she looked at them.

"Oh Sakura." She said after setting them down. Sakura looked at her expectantly and then nodded as Sakura launched forward and hugged her tightly. Yoshino held her as her body shook trying her best to comfort her. _"The poor thing's terrified." _She thought. To her great surprise Sakura made a sound that sounded like laughing. Yoshino released her and looked at Sakura whose face was streaming with tears as she laughed and smiled. "You're not upset?" She asked and Sakura shook her head.

"I'm so happy I can't be upset! Oh Yoshino!" She hugged her tightly again and then picked up the papers reading them for herself.

_Name: Sabaku no Sakura_

_Age: 23_

_Birth Date: March 28th_

_Blood Type: O_

_Results: Positive_

There was much more on the pages but what she needed was there in plain sight. Positive meaning that she was right. Also meaning that Ino would not be able to stop gloating over her. She turned to Yoshino and wiped away the tears on her face as the older woman looked at her with a smile.

"Things tend to happen in funny ways don't they Sakura? Shikamaru was telling me about everything that was going on with you how people kept asking if you were going to have kids and how the council was starting to pressure you along with the dreams you've been having. Now that I think of it I had dreams like that before I knew I was pregnant with Shikamaru. Maybe our bodies know we're pregnant before we do and are trying to tell us." Sakura nodded and looked down at her stomach rubbing it lovingly.

"I just didn't think it would be so soon. But I guess fate works on me in mysterious ways. I just can't believe all this time I've been dodging Ino's remarks about kids and asking if I was pregnant and all the time I really was!" She laughed again and Yoshino smiled at her.

"Well now the question is when are you going to tell the boys?" Sakura sighed and leaned back on the couch.

"Well I think I have time. I'm not having any symptoms and I don't want to stress anyone out. Besides I still want to go on missions until I'm sure I can't. I have no idea. How did you tell Shikaku?" Yoshino laughed.

"Well that lazy man was griping about his missions as usual. I had been getting sick for a long time and actually I'd known about it for about three months. I was just starting to show and I was planning on telling him over a romantic dinner. Of course he complained that he was tired and was going to get some rest. Well I guess my hormones kicked in and I basically threw him into a chair and told him we were going to have a nice romantic dinner. He rolled his eyes and obliged not really paying attention to me as he ate. Eventually he asked why we were having a fancy dinner since I usually just made something simple. Well I said I had something to tell him and he just casually nodded not really paying attention. Well I snapped stood up and walked over to him grabbing him by his ponytail and scaring him half to death before screaming that I was pregnant. Well he looked at me wide eyed and I let go of his hair. Then he did what most men do, he passed out on the floor and I had to drag him to the couch and wait until he woke up at which point he looked at me and gave me a small smile before hugging me and muttering troublesome just like he always did but this time it was with a smile." Sakura smiled and picked up her tea again.

"Well I think I'll wait for a while. Thanks Yoshino." She hugged her again and Yoshino smiled.

"You are welcome Sakura. Now let's go get the men shall we?" Sakura nodded and stood up with her walking out of the room to where she could hear the men talking in the shoji room. Sakura knocked on the door and heard one of the guys stand to open it. Shikamaru slid the door open and smiled at Sakura.

"Hey Sakura you heading home?" She nodded as Gaara stood and walked over to her.

"I'm planning on making dinner tonight and it's getting late. Thank you for having us over and we will see you tomorrow Shika." She smiled and Yoshino nodded hugging Sakura again and waving goodbye to them as they left the house with Sakura holding on to Gaara's arm with a happy smile. Gaara looked at her skeptically and smiled.

"Did you have a good day?" Sakura laughed a little and smiled.

"An unexpected one to say the least, but it was a good day over all." He smiled down at her softly as the warming glow of the sunset lit up her happy face and gave her a warm glow. They walked quietly down the deserted streets to their house walking up the steps and into the house. Sakura took off her coat and put it on the peg near the door her hands lingering on it for a moment. She smiled and walked into the kitchen humming happily and placing the bag on the counter. Gaara watched her with a slightly amused expression wondering what had put her in such a good mood. She pulled out the pasta and a big pot filling it with water and setting it on the stove to boil. She turned to Gaara and smiled tossing him a tomato which he caught. "Want to help me make the sauce? It's easy I'll show you." He nodded and smiled standing next to his wife chopping the tomatoes as she instructed then following the rest of the instructions she gave him as she cooked the pasta.

"You really seem happy today is something up?" She shook her head and poured the pasta into the strainer before setting it on the counter and putting it on two plates for them.

"I'm just happy to be going home that's all." Gaara nodded and kissed her forehead lightly before turning back to the sauce.

Dinner went quickly with little conversation but a happy atmosphere none the less. Sakura seemed to be in good spirits and this continued throughout the night. When it came time for bed Sakura curled up in Gaara's arms immediately and kissed him softly before whispering goodnight. Gaara smiled but stayed awake the nagging thought that something had changed still weighing on his mind.

_"You're gonna have to tell him. He suspects something I mean for Kami sake you were practically skipping around tonight like you were some sugar high toddler!" _Inner Sakura scolded her the minute she drifted off into sleep making Sakura roll her eyes.

_"Oh like you weren't bouncing around like an idiot in my head all day too!" Sakura countered. Inner huffed and grinned._

_"So anyways, I was right you are knocked up!" Sakura scowled._

_"Don't put it like that! It makes it sound like I'm some unmarried kid whose boyfriend got her pregnant!" Inner laughed and smiled at her. _

_"So we're gonna be a mother! You've got a little Gaara in there!" Inner cooed poking at Sakura's flat stomach. She batted off Inner's hand._

_"Well I still have no idea how far along I am which means someone is going to have to do an ultrasound on me sometime soon." Inner nodded and smiled. _

_"You know you could tell them to keep it a secret from him and everyone else. You have enough power over them not to mention you can be scary as hell." Sakura laughed. _

_"Look who's talking." Inner grinned and bowed._

_"I try my best." Sakura grinned and heard a loud annoying beep bringing her back to the world of reality. _

"Kami shut it up!" She groaned leaning over and hitting the offending alarm clock making it stop its incessant beeping. Gaara chuckled and looked at his wife with a smile.

"Well at least you're up we need to meet Shikamaru by the gates in a few minutes." Sakura looked at him and blinked before nodding.

"Yeah I'll get ready hold on." She groggily stepped out of bed and walked to the bathroom downing a pill as she was beginning to feel nauseous. _"How lovely I find out I'm pregnant say I have no symptoms and then I begin to feel them."_ Inner laughed and Sakura tuned her out walking back to the room after brushing her hair and teeth. She then changed into her standard black pants, medic skirt, top, arm guards, and tied her hetai-ate in her hair. Gaara had gotten ready as well and stood holding her packs with his regular crimson outfit and gourd strapped to his back. Sakura took the packs and attached them to her waist along with her weapons pouch on her leg and the small backpack full of scrolls with their supplies on her back. She sighed and looked at Gaara with a grin.

"Are you ready to go?" She nodded and took his hand walking out of the house and locking the door behind her. They walked through Konoha to the gates where Shikamaru stood with his parents. He waved to them as they approached and Sakura waved back.

"You ready Shikamaru?" Sakura asked cheerfully. He sighed and nodded. Yoshino looked at him and he turned to her with a smile.

"I'll see you soon mom." She nodded and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug from which Shikamaru rolled his eyes but returned. When his mom let go she was in tears and his father was standing there with his hands in his pockets quietly as usual. Shikamaru smirked and held out his hand to his dad. He took it and shook it firmly as Shikamaru moved forward and patted his back. "See you at the wedding dad." He nodded and sighed.

"Troublesome." He said and Shikamaru smirked. Yoshino walked over to Sakura and hugged her gently making Shikamaru raise an eyebrow. Usually his mother would be crushing her in a hug as well but it was as if she was being careful.

"Take care of yourself Sakura and keep an eye on Shika for me. Send a message if you need anything." She smiled and Sakura nodded thankfully.

"Well are we ready to go?" Shikamaru asked in his usual lazy manner. Sakura nodded and Gaara did as well. The trio waved goodbye to Shikamaru's parents and started off down the path at a nice pace. The sun was just starting to come up and the morning still held the chill of the night. Sakura could hear birds waking up and things moving about as they came to the forest and made their way into the trees. Once inside the forest they jumped up into the branches traveling across them as usual at a fast clip. The dew made it slightly slippery and Sakura found herself focusing her chakra so she would not slip and fall. Shikamaru watched her make this tiny adjustment and continued on. None of them talked as they ran making good time through the forest as the day wore on. Soon they stopped for lunch and jumped down to the ground to make it.

"Here I have the supplies." Sakura said as she pulled out a scroll and handed it to Gaara who opened it. He handed them onigiri and rice cakes which they ate in silence listening to the wind moving the leaves across the tree tops. Sakura smiled and stood as they finished, placing the scroll back in her bag and turning to them waiting to go. Shikamaru nodded and they started off again running along the trees and growing ever closer to Suna. Eventually Sakura started a conversation. "So how are you planning to propose to Temari?" She asked and Shikamaru sighed.

"I don't know I'm not good with this stuff it's so troublesome. I guess I'll take her to an overlook or something and do it there. The whole romantic dinner thing is such a drag." Sakura laughed and then smiled.

"There's an overlook of the city towards the back wall. It's beautiful at night. You should take her there." Shikamaru looked at her and nodded.

"It'd make it easier." Sakura grinned and continued on glancing at Gaara from time to time taking in his form as he ran. He was absolutely gorgeous in her eyes. Very handsome and, as Ino once put it, 'completely drool worthy.' She liked the way his red hair contrasted with his turquoise eyes and how they were so deeply offset by the black. She liked the kanji on his head that matched her own and the way his muscles were so defined and toned but not bulky or huge. Most of all she loved his smile at the rare times it was present. His real smile not the one he used around other people but the one reserved for her. Sakura felt her stomach start to flip again and quickly pulled out an anti-nausea pill downing it before she could get sick. Of course Shikamaru noticed.

_"You're gonna tell him soon right?" _Inner probed. Sakura nodded inwardly and Inner backed off. She didn't want to tell him but the genius probably already knew. At least he could keep it a secret for a while. No need for her to stress Gaara out just yet. They continued to run until it began to get dark.

"We'll stop here and get some rest we all will need it for tomorrow." Gaara's voice broke Sakura out of her thoughts. They had stopped to catch their breath but the forest was already becoming very dark.

"That sounds good. I'll find some firewood. Gaara you can get the tents out if you would." He nodded as Sakura stood up from her spot leaning against a tree.

"I'll help Shikamaru get the firewood we'll need plenty to keep warm tonight." Gaara looked at her with a small smile as she yawned a little.

"I'm glad we stopped you look tired." He said simply and Sakura blushed a little. The air was rather chill and a sudden gust of wind caused Sakura to shiver. Shikamaru sighed and nodded to Gaara.

"We'd better get the firewood soon it's getting colder." He started walking with Sakura close behind. They moved away from where Gaara was before beginning to gather branches. Shikamaru said nothing as he worked in the dim light looking for branches and kindling on the forest floor. Sakura moved near him as well their breathing and moving breaking the stillness of the forest. "So you let my mom in on it huh?" He said simply and Sakura stilled her moving.

"She's the only one I knew could keep a secret. Besides I don't want to put stress on Gaara or Shishou yet. You know how overboard they can go when it comes to me. I don't want that yet. Besides I don't know anything myself." She sighed and continued to gather branches. Shikamaru looked at her holding a large bundle in his arms.

"I agree with you there. Just know that I will be keeping an eye on you as well. I mean you are going to be my little sister." Sakura rolled her eyes and nudged his arm playfully.

"I'm not so little anymore Shika you should know that." She smirked and walked back to the campsite where Gaara was setting up the tents. Sakura put the firewood down and walked over to him helping him set them up. He smiled at her and let her help him as Shikamaru got the fire started. Its warmth soon filled the small clearing and brought a peaceful light to the three friends as they sat down on a log that Gaara had drug over to the fire. Sakura had pulled out the bentos she had packed and handed them to Shikamaru and Gaara. They ate them quietly enjoying the sound of the crackling fire and of the wind in the trees above them. Sakura soon yawned and leaned against Gaara's shoulder cuddling up to him as he finished his meal. He smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders letting her lean against him. Shikamaru watched with a smile.

"You know she's changed a lot since she married you Gaara." The redhead turned to Shikamaru and nodded.

"So have I Shikamaru. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll change too. I guess its true what they say that being in love changes people. I know it did for me I have never been so protective of anyone in my life. But beyond that I think it's the knowing that I have someone who will stand by me no matter what and that I can come home at night and have someone there waiting for me. It's stronger than any bond and I know that. Even though you and Temari won't have the sand bond like we do your bond will be just as strong." Shikamaru looked at Gaara amazed. Soon he chuckled though and raised an eyebrow.

"Why do I get the feeling you read that somewhere?" Gaara smiled a little.

"Sakura leaves her books around a lot. I only got the idea from the book the words are my own." Shikamaru continued to scrutinize him and Gaara conceded. "Ok most of them are mine." Shikamaru shook his head and laughed along with Gaara who gave his usual close mouthed smile. Sakura had fallen asleep on his shoulder and was oblivious to the words being said between the two men. They talked for a while longer about the politics and the possibility that the rogues were actually planning something again before deciding to retire to their tents.

"You should get her to bed she seems cold." Shikamaru said motioning to Sakura who was still sleeping soundly. Gaara nodded and carefully stood picking her up in his arms.

"Goodnight Shikamaru." He nodded and walked to his tent as Gaara moved to theirs setting Sakura in the sleeping bag that lay inside. He took off her shoes and packs setting them near the sleeping bag before taking off his gourd and coat along with his own shoes. He crawled into the sleeping bag and wrapped his arms around Sakura carefully before zipping it and closing his eyes.

The soft noise of footsteps outside of the tent caused the redheaded Kazekage inside to shift in his sleep and begin to wake up. The forest had long been awake itself, the birds already singing and chattering high above the small encampment made by the traveling shinobi. Gaara blinked in the dim light of the morning feeling the damp air around him and taking a deep breath of the musty scent of Earth and the fresh scent of dew the forest held. The woman in his arms still slept peacefully but it was still very early in the day. Gaara sat up slowly, so as not to wake her, and looked out of the slit in the tent fabric to see Shikamaru near the fire getting it started again to presumably cook breakfast. Gaara looked over at Sakura and saw that she was still fast asleep. He didn't want to wake her yet so he carefully slipped out of the sleeping bag covering her back up to keep her warm. He then put on his coat and shoes before putting on his vest and grabbing his gourd, bringing it outside the tent.

"Morning Gaara, is Sakura still asleep?" Gaara nodded and Shikamaru nodded back picking up a small pan and a few eggs that Sakura had packed in the scroll.

"I'll get out some fruit as well." Gaara said as he picked up the scroll containing the food. He opened it and picked up a few fruits noticing that there were a few unmarked pills in a bag with Sakura's name on it. "Shikamaru have you seen Sakura take any pills lately? These seem to be new." Shikamaru turned and looked at the bag in Gaara's hand before waving it off.

"Those might be soldier pills or food pills she picked up at the hospital just in case something happened on the trip." Gaara nodded and put them down while Shikamaru continued to cook the eggs. Inside the tent Sakura began to stir smelling the smoke from the fire and the eggs cooking. She blinked upon hearing voices and looked out of the tent to see Shikamaru bent over the fire with a pan and Gaara sitting on the log nearby. She smiled and stretched in the sleeping bag deciding to walk to the stream nearby to wash up before breakfast. She put on her shoes and grabbed her weapons pouch before fixing her hair with a brush by looking in the small mirror she carried with her. Once she deemed herself acceptable she stepped out of the tent attracting the attention of the two boys.

"Good morning Gaara-kun, Shika. I think I'll go wash up at the stream before breakfast I'll be right back." Gaara nodded and gave her a small smile watching as she left to go to the stream. Sakura walked through the forest happily taking in the scent of evergreens and dew as she approached the stream. The water was fresh and clear and had a calming sound to it as it flowed across the rocks. It wasn't very deep or very wide but, had she stepped in, the water would have come up to about her ankles. Sakura knelt next to the bank and dipped her hands in the water splashing it onto her face and letting the cold shock of it wake her up a little more. She still felt drowsy and a little lethargic but the chill of the morning and the frigid water had woken her up a little bit. She shivered slightly as she wiped the water off her face and stood up from her position next to the stream. The sun was not yet over the horizon and it was still rather dark out. Sakura did not notice having already moved some chakra to her eyes to help her see well. She stretched again and sighed into the crisp air smiling happily as she placed one hand on her stomach for a moment then turned around to head back to their camp.

Gaara looked up as Sakura walked back into the campsite now looking a little bit more awake but still a little tired. He handed her a plate of eggs and a banana as she sat down on the log. "Did you sleep well Sakura?" He asked and she nodded.

"I was so tired last night. I slept like a rock!" She smiled and began to eat the eggs complimenting Shikamaru on their taste. He laughed at this and waved it off.

"They're eggs unless you are Naruto they are pretty hard to mess up." She laughed and finished them up before moving on to the banana. Gaara watched her with a small smile as she finished that as well and stood to put the plate back in the scroll. They soon stood and started to pack up the camp eliminating any traces that they were there. Shikamaru placed everything back in the scrolls and Sakura put the pack on her back before getting ready to leave. Once they were sure everything was accounted for they jumped up into the trees and began to move towards Suna once again.

Sakura enjoyed jumping through the trees and feeling the wind on her face and hair as she pushed chakra into her legs. The smell of evergreen was stronger up in the trees and she loved the scent. She was traveling next to Gaara and from time to time she caught a scent of sand and sun that was unique to only him. This made her smile and brush a hand across her stomach with a fond thought. They continued on until the sun was high in the sky and the air began to get slightly warmer. They still had another day of running but were making excellent time. When they stopped for lunch Sakura commented on this and Shikamaru nodded.

"I think we will be there sooner than we expected at this rate." They ate their lunch quickly and went back to running soon after. That night they did the same as the night before eating dinner after setting up the camp and creating a small fire. The group lounged about the campfire talking idly until they became tired and retired to their tents. The next morning they wok early and ate a quick breakfast before jumping back up into the trees. By late morning it was decidedly warmer and the trio felt the sun becoming stronger as they approached the desert. Around noon they crossed into the plains and soon they reached the desert full of sand and much harder to travel across with the sand whipping up around them. They ran through this as well slowing their pace only for water and a small rest. It began to grow dark and Sakura felt very tired and fatigued. They pressed on however seeing large cliffs in the distance and knowing that it was Suna and that they were almost home. Shikamaru seemed to become a bit more nervous and Gaara noticed Sakura was slightly dragging behind.

"Sakura do you need us to slow down?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No I'm fine we can keep going we can see Suna." She said. He nodded but kept an eye on her as they walked through the sand towards the structure that was now much larger and closer. Sakura was still dragging behind feeling exhausted and drained. She knew it was a symptom of being pregnant. The fatigue and lack of energy was a problem among most every woman patient she had treated that had become pregnant. So she pushed on using a great deal of effort to keep her eyes open and moving forward. The heat from the day still lingered slightly though the sun was setting. She felt her vision blur a little and then a strong hand grasping her arm. She looked at Shikamaru who was staring at her with a worried expression. "I'm fine just tired." She said simply and he shook his head walking up next to Gaara who had seen what had happened.

"Sakura you're exhausted let me carry you it's fine Suna's right there." Gaara said and she nodded finally feeling like she would fall at any moment. They were only a few minutes away from Suna the sun already being blocked out by the towering wall and rocks. Gaara picked her up bridal style and they continued walking with Sakura falling asleep in Gaara's arms. Shikamaru looked at Gaara who had a very worried look on his face and smiled.

"It's alright Gaara she's just tired she didn't get enough sleep last night I think she'll be fine." Gaara nodded and kept walking getting to the gates as the security guards let them in.

"Welcome back Kazekage-sama. Is the Kaze-hime hurt? We'll get a medic immediately!" Gaara stopped the worried shinobi as he ran to contact one.

"She's fine she just fell asleep." The shinobi stopped and nodded letting Gaara continue on his way. They walked through the streets of Suna getting worried looks and murmurs from the people who saw them pass. Soon they were at their house however, and were greeted by Temari who came running outside.

"Oh my gosh! Gaara what happened?!" He stopped her before she could become frantic.

"She's fine just tired. I'm going to take her to bed ok?" Temari nodded as Gaara walked inside leaving her with Shikamaru who held her in his arms as the door shut and she hugged him.

"It's good to see you Shika! But what brings you to Suna?" She asked and he smiled.

"Let's take a walk all that travel was troublesome I could do with a relaxing talk." She nodded and he took her hand making her blush as they walked out of the yard to the street. Inside Gaara had put Sakura in bed and taken off her packs and shoes along with her medic skirt leaving her in her black pants and shirt. He looked at her and laid a hand on her head worriedly to check for signs of a fever. She had none so he relaxed thinking that maybe she was just tired. He smiled and kissed her forehead before standing and changing into a pair of boxers before walking back to the bed. He climbed into the bed and turned towards Sakura closing his eyes to get some sleep. He opened them when she moved and saw her get up and walk to the closet shutting the door and returning a moment later in a fresh pair of shorts and a bra. She crawled into bed and curled up in Gaara's arms snuggling into his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"Thank you Gaara." She said quietly making him smile.

"Anything for you Sakura." She smiled back and drifted off into a much needed sleep.

END OF CHAPTER FLIPPING **60**! OMG! SO YEAH BOY OR GIRL? TWINS? NAMES? SEND ME YOUR IDEAS!


	56. Chapter 62

Saki-I'm so sorry this is so incredibly late! Word deleted the entire chapter then my computer got a bug and my teachers gave me three projects at the same time and FFA and Band and I am such a horrible author to you guys!

Deidara- First off you're amazing Saki-chan and second Tobi got his head stuck in the dryer, un.

Saki- You've got to be kidding.

Deidara- I'm not you know Kakuzu will kill him if he breaks it, yeah.

Saki- Ugh you do this then Deidara!

Deidara- She owns no Naruto or Naruto products, un.

Chapter 62

Sakura opened her eyes to the sudden feeling of overwhelming nausea early the next morning. She sat up in bed quickly noticing that the sun had not yet risen outside and Gaara was still sound asleep in bed next to her. She stood quickly without waking him and rushed out of the room and down the hall to the guest room, rushing into the bathroom, and carefully shutting the door, before bolting to the toilet and effectively emptying her stomach. She clutched the sides of the seat in a tight grip retching horribly into the bowl until she was sure there was nothing left for her to expel from her body. She was trembling and felt exhausted and horrible recalling with sudden vibrancy a mission where she had obtained horrible food poisoning thanks to rancid ramen from Naruto what seemed like ages ago. She groaned slightly, reaching up and flushing the toilet before forcing herself to stand and walk to the sink. She avoided looking in the mirror as she filled a cup with water and began to rinse her mouth out. Once she finished she used a disposable toothbrush she found in the drawer and some toothpaste to brush her teeth and tongue to rid herself of the vile taste left behind.

_"Ugh you forgot to take the anti-nausea pills last night." _Inner commented also drained and sick in Sakura's mind. Sakura groaned and scowled.

_"I realize that."_ She thought sarcastically. She really didn't need Inner's comments now. She reached in her pocket and pulled out said nausea pill swallowing it with a glass of water before fixing herself in the mirror as best as she could. As a sudden impulse she looked at her stomach and turned to the side as she gently prodded a tiny little bump barely even noticeable. She noticed the different feel of the skin, normally it was very taut and firm but now it was slightly, well squishy. From this she deduced that she was at least a month along. But she already knew that much. Sakura sighed and ran her hand through her pink hair thinking about how she was going to get someone to do an ultrasound for her and who she could really trust. Immediately a nice surgeon she had befriended when she first came to the hospital popped into her head. _"Mari, I remember reading her records saying she used to be an ultrasound technician." _

_"She'd help you if you needed it. But you know the baby might be three months along already. We were married about four or five months ago. And then there was the first night, the bath, the couch, the honeymoon…" _

_"Ok, ok I get it!"_ Sakura thought blushing. She looked at herself in the mirror and gasped seeing that she had bags under her eyes and her hair was in horrible disarray. She groaned and began to brush her hair detangling it and fixing it until she looked nice. Then she got rid of the bags under her eyes with a slight bit of medical jutsu. Once she deemed herself acceptable she walked out of the guest bathroom and back to her room looking over at the bed to make sure Gaara was still asleep. Seeing that he was she made her way to the closet in the dark room opening it and walking inside before shutting the door silently and turning on the light. She pulled off her shorts and grabbed her usual outfit putting on the shirt and pants before sliding on the skirt and tying her hetai-ate into her hair. She turned to leave and tripped over a shirt that had fallen onto the floor hitting the door and wincing knowing that Gaara probably heard it. She opened the closet and peaked out seeing her husband move in the bed and turn towards where she was. He looked over at Sakura in the dim morning light that was starting to come through the window.

"Sakura what's wrong? Did something happen?" He asked sitting up in bed as Sakura shook her head.

"I just woke up early that's all. I was going to make breakfast and see if Shikamaru and Temari were up yet." Gaara looked at her for a moment and nodded.

"I'll be down in a minute." She smiled and nodded walking out of the room with a small sigh of relief.

When she got downstairs she was met with a warm greeting coming from down the hall. "Hey little sis! You're finally up to make breakfast!" Kankuro greeted her with his usual enthusiasm his face clear of his usual face paint and his hair uncovered. Sakura preferred this look to his usual cat-like appearance, which she teased him about sometimes. She rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen seeing Shikamaru sitting down at the table with a rather smug look on his face. She raised an eyebrow and he merely smiled.

"It was a yes of course." He said and Sakura squealed practically tackling him in a hug. Temari chuckled as she walked in looking at Sakura with a smile.

"Oh don't act like you haven't known all along. Shika said you were the one who figured it out months ago." She gave Sakura a smile and she shrugged with a grin before turning towards the fridge and pulling out the ingredients to make pancakes. Temari smiled and went to help her showing her the ring and making toast for everyone. Gaara came downstairs a few moments later and smiled at Shikamaru before congratulating the pair. After a comment about starving to death from Kankuro, breakfast was prepared by Sakura and then ate with small talk and amused laughs from most. After breakfast they all lounged in the kitchen for a while talking idly.

"So I'm guessing you guys have work today." Temari said looking at Sakura who was washing dishes that had been sitting in the sink. Gaara sighed and sat back down at the table.

"We always have work Temari. Unlike you." She laughed and Kankuro grinned. Sakura, however, had stilled by the sink and was staring out the window blankly her hands gripping a spoon and a wash rag. Her thoughts were on something other than the room full of family. Everything else had melted away from her as she remembered that she needed to get an ultrasound done for the little thing inside her that was a part of both her and the one she loved more than anything on Earth. Temari looked over at her pink-haired sister who was staring out the window frozen in one spot her face in a tiny smile as she held the dishes. She creased her brow a little catching Shikamaru's notice who then looked to where Temari's gaze was fixed. He noticed Sakura's frozen stance and knew she was thinking about the baby. Wanting to draw Temari's attention from Sakura before she asked what was wrong, He stood up making her head turn towards him.

"Sakura I'll do the dishes for you if you'd like I know you need to get to the hospital for work." Sakura blinked snapping out of her trance-like state and smiling at him kindly.

"Yes sorry I was spacing out again. I do need to get going. I will be home soon though then we can all spend some time together." She smiled and walked over to where Gaara now stood smiling at her. Temari nodded and said goodbye to the pair as they waved and left hand-in-hand with Sakura smiling happily. Maybe she would tell him as soon as she found out how far along she was.

_"He should know. It's his baby and he loves me so much. I know he'll adore the baby."_ She smiled at the thought and walked along next to Gaara both deciding to walk to the hospital and Kazekage Tower instead of transporting enjoying the morning stroll through Suna. The streets were beginning to wake up with the smell of food cooking coming from the market streets as they passed and the people beginning to emerge picking up newspapers placed on steps and in front of doors. Some waved as they passed, a few bowed, some smiled, and almost all greeted them in some manner. A very little girl gave Sakura a flower before bringing a newspaper back to her mother who was waiting at the door giving them a smile and a wave. Gaara smiled as he looked down at the happy face of his wife holding the small flower and grinning as they walked up the path to the hospital. Once they reached the doors they parted with Gaara giving Sakura a small kiss on the forehead and then the lips before squeezing her hand and leaving as she walked into the hospital.

After talking to the secretary she walked through the halls greeting doctors and nurses before making her way to the ER to find Mari. She found the girl sorting files at a desk.

"Good morning Mari. May I have a word with you? I need you to assist me in something." Mari looked up at her with a surprised look but quickly straightened and nodded giving her a smile.

"Yes of course Lady Sakura. I'd be happy to help with anything you need." Sakura gave her a smile and began to walk down the hall with Mari following closely behind. Once they got to her office Sakura told Mari to take a seat and then shut the door.

"Mari I need you to help me with something rather personal. It must be a complete secret absolutely no one is to know about this. It's a very delicate matter and I am asking you this in the strictest confidence. Like I said nobody is to know about this and should someone possibly find out I will be forced to place you on strictly intern work. Meaning you would be teaching the interns should we have any and organizing paperwork for the rest of your medical career. Is this understood?" Mari's eyes were wide as she nodded fervently.

"Y-yes my Lady I understand completely. I will not breathe a word to anyone." Sakura smiled kindly at the worried girl and nodded.

"I know you won't Mari. Now I say this is delicate because, well, the Kazekage needs to be kept in the dark for a while. It may put stress on him right now and I can't have that happen. It's something that can wait for a while at least. I intend to let him know when I am sure he is not having any issues regarding the safety of Suna or any other dealings. Depending on the information I learn today I may tell him tonight. Now Mari please don't get too excited but I need you to help me using some of your old expertise." Mari looked confused and waited for an explanation. "I read in your reports that you used to be an ultrasound technician and I knew you were someone I could trust…" Mari's eyes grew wide again and she broke into a huge grin before jumping up happily her hands clasped together in joy.

"Oh Lady Sakura! Are you really going to have a baby?! Oh that's so amazing I am so happy for you and Kazekage-sama! Oh this is wonderful news! I won't tell anyone I can get one done for you right now!" Sakura smiled at the enthusiastic girl standing and following her out of the room and down the halls to one of the rooms that Mari slipped into before shutting and locking the door.

"I really appreciate it Mari." Sakura said as she walked over to the examination table to lie down. Mari waved away the compliment with a chorus of "Oh Lady Sakura I am honored!" Sakura smiled and climbed onto the table laying back and lifting up her shirt as Mari set up the ultrasound machine. Once ready she looked at Sakura whose emerald eyes seemed slightly worried.

"Don't worry Lady Sakura it'll be fine." Sakura gave a small smile and nodded as Mari put the cool gel on her stomach before touching the probe to it. Sakura's eyes moved to the screen as Mari moved it around until she found a tiny motion on the screen and the sound of a tiny heartbeat filled Sakura's ears. Her baby was on the screen. She could see the little arms and the head and her eyes filled with tears as Mari moved the probe to show two little legs and then the whole image of her baby on the screen. It looked a little like a baby at this point to Sakura but she knew by the fifth month it would really start to look like one. Her own heart swelled at the little heartbeat on the monitor, so quiet yet there. The little heart of her baby, of Gaara's baby. Mari was in awe her eyes misty as well as she cleared her throat and spoke.

"Well from the looks of your baby you're three months along. You'll be showing soon. I mean enough to be noticeable but you already knew that." She smiled and printed out a picture from the machine handing it to Sakura as she sat up on the table and wiped off her stomach.

"Mari this means so much to me. But you understand that Gaara is very protective of me already and I don't know what he would do if the city was attacked and he knew I was pregnant. He might not let me fight and if Suna was attacked again they would need me. I know that in a few months I won't be able to go on missions. I will be pretty useless by then except for here at the hospital. But for now I can be of service to Suna. I can still go on missions if I'm needed I can still do that if absolutely necessary. I think I'm going to tell him tonight but please, if the need should arise I could use your support in the fact that I can still protect Suna if it was needed." Mari nodded and couldn't contain herself as she gave Sakura tight hug.

"Lady Sakura I will of course be on your side! If you ever need anything please let me know! I will gladly help." Sakura nodded and patted her shoulder as she dismissed Mari and looked down at the picture of her tiny baby that she now held in her hand. She smiled and laid a hand on her stomach humming softly. She stood there for a while before grabbing an envelope and placing the picture inside. She then dated it and walked out of the room and down the hall to the elevator to her office. She was promptly greeted with a pile of paperwork sitting on her desk and a kind nurse rushing out of the room with an apologetic look cast her way. Sakura sighed and sat down at the desk diving right in so as to finish it early and spend some time with Temari.

A few hours of paperwork, and two emergencies, later she was finished with her work and could clock out. Not that she needed to, seeing as she ran the hospital and she had seen Tsunade check in for about two minutes and leave while running the Konoha hospital. Even so she was glad to have gotten the paperwork done and on her way home. After saying her goodbyes to the secretary she stepped out into the warm Suna air. The sky was clear and the winds were low meaning that it was a gorgeous day. As she walked down the sand covered cobblestone she felt the warmth of the sun around her and the soft sand falling lightly on her toes when she walked. The smells of baked goods wafted to her nose from the market stalls and the sound of children laughing could be heard from down the street. The innocent laughter of children, children who had never seen war, or hurt up close, whose biggest problem was a bump or a scrape, and petty quarrels over toys. How she loved that sound. Their laughter made her smile because she knew that even when she felt the weight of her life as a kunoichi come crashing down around her there were those who knew nothing of hurt or pain and they would grow up in sweet ignorant bliss. The civilians were much like children, so naïve in their day-to-day lives. They will never have to see someone they know die right before their eyes or try desperately to heal someone only to have them die anyways. Yes Sakura liked knowing that there was still innocence in the world in the form of civilians away from war and children who had yet to experience it. Sakura could hear a lot of this laughter suddenly and turned her head realizing that she was now next to the Sunagakure Ninja Academy. She could see the students running about in the courtyard while their Sensei laid on a bench his eyes closed and most likely asleep.

She smiled at this remembering her own lazy Sensei who would do much the same sleeping with his book on the bridge of his nose against a tree or simply reading his book and ignoring everyone else around him. She walked into the courtyard casually smiling as she watched the boys chase each other in a game of sorts involving a ball and the girls talking and giggling at them with only a few actually joining in. Sakura set down the bag she was carrying and watched them as two young boys paused in their game to look at her.

"Lady Kaze-hime!" One squeaked before bowing a little as another look rather confused as his friend elbowed him and he quickly did the same. Soon all eyes were on her and they had all stopped their game and were bowing. She laughed and the children looked up confused.

"Oh don't worry about that, call me Lady Sakura. What game were you playing?" The boy who had stopped first grinned and proudly placed his hands on his hips.

"We were playing bases! It's like kickball and dodge ball but you have to have at least two people on a base to advance and there are five bases. When you get two people on a base the next kicker up kicks the ball and the people on the base have to link hands and run to the next one or continue to get a run or a higher base. If you get hit with the ball you're out though and you have to go back in line." Sakura smiled. She had played a game like this when she was a little girl but she never got chosen for teams.

"It sounds like fun. I have a little bit of time may I play?" She asked with a smile. The children's eyes lit up and they all soon ran over into a cluster greeting her and smiling as the boy who had spoken to her first pulled her up next to him and stated that they were team captains.

"I'm Kinji, by the way, Lady Sakura." She smiled and nodded turning back to the group of excited academy students.

"Alright I'll chose first. I'll take the girl with the pony tail in the back." She smiled as the young girl opened her mouth in glee and rushed up next to her as Kenji picked his player and so on. The last kid joined Kenji's team as Kanji announced that Sakura's team would kick first. They all decided she would go first and she walked up to the makeshift plate happily smiling at Kenji as he rolled the ball and she kicked it gently still managing to send it to the back of the field. She then ran to the plate and waited as the next child kicked and joined her at the plate.

"So we run now Lady Sakura." Sakura nodded and took her hand grinning as she gripped it firmly. The ball was kicked and Sakura ran alongside the girl as her team cheered and she broke into a grin filled with laughter as she ran. They made it to the third base and stopped as the next child kicked. He struck out as did the next until a boy with blonde hair came up to the plate and kicked the ball over the heads of the back field players. Sakura and her partner ran for the home base spurred on by their team mate's cheering and the joyful shouts as they made it to home dodging the ball thrown towards them. Sakura was laughing happily as they played for a while longer until Sakura realized she needed to be going. She decided she should probably wake their Sensei up knowing that they should be going home soon. She walked over to the sleeping man with the students behind her giggling quietly as she smiled and put a finger up to her lips. She then reached out a hand and shook the man's shoulder hard making him startle and blink up at her as the kids all laughed and giggled behind her at their Sensei's funny reaction to being woken up. The poor man was obviously very flustered at being woken up by the Kaze-hime when he should have been watching the children.

"L-lady Kaze-hime I-I'm so sorry I meant to be…" She cut him off with a large smile.

"My Sensei read Icha-Icha nonstop from the first day I met him all the way through my Chunnin years while he trained us and still does to this day. Trust me I understand. There was no harm done and I was greatly entertained. I may even come back some time to play again if the children would like." She said looking down at the smiling faces around her as they all cheered and begged her to come back. Their Sensei smiled and told them they needed to say goodbye and thank you to their Kaze-hime as she turned to leave waving goodbye to the students who were all smiling and waving as she picked up her bag and waved goodbye walking back out onto the main road. Her smile would not leave her face as she walked down the path waving to all that she saw and feeling better, mentally and physically, than she had in a long time.

As she reached her house she paused at the gate hearing a small noise that sounded like it was coming from the side of her house. She opened the gate and walked up the path quickly walking to the side of the house where a small bird lay in the dirt peeping rather mournfully. She bent down and took it into her hands gently noticing that its wing appeared to be broken.

"It's ok little guy I'll heal you ok? You must have flown into the window. You'll have to be more careful once you can fly again." She gingerly took the bird's wing in her fingers and healed the break with a tiny green pulse of chakra. The bird moved it a little and then looked up at her before flying out of her hand and back into the sky. She smiled and watched him fly away before standing and walking to her door. As soon as she walked inside she realized that the house sounded rather empty. She walked inside all the way taking off her shoes and walking to the kitchen holding her bag in her hand. She set it on the counter and pulled out the envelope carrying it to the office that Gaara had given her to use at home. She put the envelope in the top drawer and closed it before walking out of the office. After getting a glass of lemonade she walked outside to where a large tree stood shading a lover's swing. She walked over and sat on it pulling her feet up as the swing gently rocked. She didn't know where Temari was but knew that she would find her here if she was looking for her. Her hand rested on her stomach rubbing it gently with circular motions. She felt happy and light of mind as she enjoyed the warmth of outside and the noises of Suna. A few minutes later she heard a door open and sat up on the swing sliding off and standing up with a stretch of her arms.

"Sakura? Are you home?" She was surprised to hear Gaara's voice knowing he was at work, or was supposed to be at work. Her heart leapt a little in her chest as she walked towards the house.

"I'm in here Gaara!" She called as soon as she was in the kitchen. He walked in with a smile on his face walking over to her and taking her in his arms. She blinked confused as to why he was home so early. "You're home early." She said simply and he pulled back from the embrace.

"I came to see you actually. There's a meeting I need you to come to. The hospital said you'd left so I figured you must have gone home." She nodded and smiled.

"So what's this meeting about?" He avoided her glance suddenly but smiled a little to hide what Sakura had immediately noticed, worry.

"Oh nothing of consequence yet it's just a meeting. We should get going I'll hear it from Baki and the Elders if we're late." Sakura's brow furrowed but she didn't push the matter further. She simply nodded and gave him a small, albeit fake, smile. The pair walked outside before transporting to the nearest rooftop and running to the Kazekage building. They didn't usually do this but Sakura assumed Gaara wanted to make it seem less urgent and worrying by taking a longer route. Once inside they were ushered to a conference room by one of the secretaries. A few people were already present including Baki and another ninja on crutches that Sakura recognized as a man who she had treated for a broken leg and other injuries after being attacked on a mission. His presence in the conference room worried Sakura greatly. Pushing this aside she took her seat next to Gaara and waited as others walked into the conference room. Once everyone was assembled the door was shut and Gaara cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for attending this. I know it was not a planned meeting and there was very little notice but I assure you it is for a good reason." He looked at Baki and he nodded standing and procuring everyone's attention.

"There has been a distress call received from a small village near the border of Hidden Mist. There was very little information but they have sent a plea for help to not only us but Konoha as well. As you know this area is a high tension area with a lot of poor residents, rogues, deserters, and illegal practices. I was on a mission near the Hidden Mist border when my squad was ambushed and attacked. They killed one of our men and injured me and a fellow comrade." Sakura remembered treating his comrade as well and wondering where they were on a mission as not very much information was given to her.

"The plan is to only send a small group of ninja to investigate. They will be incognito as this may be a trap to drag Suna and Konoha into yet another war. This will be an A rank mission but will also have diplomatic aspects to it." Baki stated as the ninja sat back down.

Sakura was a little surprised at this new information and immediately felt Gaara's glance shift to her as he sighed.

"They requested a medic along for the trip and a diplomat to discuss a protection act between the village and Suna or Konoha. Seeing as the Lady Kaze-hime is a medic, diplomat for Suna, and a former diplomat of Konoha as well as the Hokage's daughter the mission is perfectly suited to her. The conditions in which she could embark on this mission are very strict however as this could be a trap and putting her in danger is something I simply will not stand for. This is why she will be accompanied by a squadron of Anbu from Suna and Konoha should she accept." Gaara did not look happy as he said this. In fact, it seemed as if every ounce of his being was screaming for him to not do this. He wanted to keep her in Suna, under his gaze and in his arms. Sakura reached over and gently touched his arm before standing and nodding.

"I accept the mission. Suna's security and the security of its people are my main concern and a village of people in need is not something I will overlook. I will leave as soon as the Anbu are gathered." The people in the meeting nodded and were adjourned as Sakura stayed behind with Gaara and Baki to discuss mission plans and details. Six Suna Anbu walked into the room and stood along with six Konoha Anbu. Sakura was introduced to them and immediately smiled when she got to the third Konoha Anbu member, refraining from saying anything in the other Anbu's presences. They were briefed on the mission and made a promise to protect her before being dismissed along with Baki. The third Konoha Anbu however, stayed behind. Sakura immediately smiled and hugged him as he stiffly returned it and took off his mask.

"Neji! You never told me you made Anbu! I'm so sorry I didn't know about it! Congratulations!" Neji nodded in appreciation and Gaara smiled.

"How are things in Konoha?" Neji shrugged a little.

"They are going fine. Hinata and Naruto have gone on a few dates and I think Kakashi found a kitten the other week. Judging from the way Kiba had to help him with a 'situation' involving his dogs. Other than those things Konoha is the same as always." Sakura smiled and nodded happily.

"Well when you return please give everyone my best wishes. They will have to come visit soon; nobody aside from Shikamaru has visited here. Speaking of which you haven't seen him yet have you? We don't leave until tomorrow morning come and say hi to him." Neji nodded and the trio left with Gaara's arm around Sakura's shoulder. She felt a little lightheaded and was grateful for the support as she slightly leaned into him. Gaara didn't seem to notice and they walked home talking to Neji as best they could. Konoha's coldest current resident was certainly living up to his name. From what they managed to squeeze out of him they deduced that Naruto had gone off to train some more with Jiraya for at least a month. He also stated that he had only recently been appointed to Anbu. Other than this Neji said very little and only nodded or shook his head when asked questions. Sakura smiled a little seeing that even though so many things had changed some things probably never would. Neji would always be that cold stick-in-the-mud she's always known and Naruto would always have that same love for ramen and boyish spirit he always had. The group walked up to the house and inside where Temari was waiting for them with a relieved look she flung herself at Sakura.

"Thank goodness you're alright! I thought you'd gotten lost or attacked or captured on your way back from the hospital! I went to pick you up but they said you had left early. Nobody seemed to have seen you after that!" Sakura smiled and patted her shoulder.

"I'm alright we just had a meeting that's all. I'm leaving for a mission tomorrow morning but I'll be back soon. Neji's here to visit as well he's coming on the mission with me as an escort. Is Shikamaru here?" Temari nodded and smiled.

"He's in the living room. Neji it's good to see you." They walked into the living room where Shikamaru was sitting watching the news with a lazy expression which changed to an equally lazy smile as he saw Neji.

"Well if it isn't Konoha's newest Anbu. Congratulations on making it." Neji nodded and sat down thanking him and exchanging greetings as Sakura stood and announced that she'd go and start dinner. Temari piped in with a smile saying she's help as the boys sat down on the couch to talk.

END OF CHAPTER 62! I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! I'M STILL ALIVE! CHAPTERS WILL BE REGULAR FROM NOW ON I PROMISE! I'm SUCH A HORRIBLE AUTHOR! D: REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED BUT I DON'T DESERVE THEM RIGHT NOW!


	57. Chapter 63

Saki- There's a boot on my floor and a ninja sandal on my light with an Akatsuki cloak in my closet with a cowboy hat above it. How on Earth did I accumulate all of this in my room?

Tobi- Because you're my cowboy ninja!

Hidan- Hell no! She's mine kid get your own hot chick.

Saki- I am not a chick. Nor am I a cowboy ninja. I am simply me and right now I'm an author who's getting rather pissed at the sexy men interrupting her work!

Kakuzu- This isn't going anywhere Saki owns nothing.

Hidan-Dammit stitch-ass that was my line!

***New challenge* *Draw, paint, or make a photo you think would fit this story and it will become the cover picture! Send me a PM if you're interested in competing!***

Chapter 63

Sakura and Temari brought the dinner out to the table in the dining room setting the dishes down before calling the boys in. Gaara smiled at his pink haired wife as she sat next to him and began to take her food putting it on her plate before passing it to him. The dinner passed in mostly silence as Neji ate and then stood bowing to them all and leaving to go report to his squadron in his usual stoic and serious manner. After he left the conversation shifted to details concerning the mission, something Sakura did not want to discuss.

"So what exactly is the objective?" Shikamaru asked leaning back at the table as Kankuro, who had joined dinner a few minutes before Neji left, looked at his sister-in-law pointedly. Sakura squirmed a little in her seat and cleared her throat.

"Well it's a diplomatic mission of sorts to help a village near Hidden Mist that requires our help with protection. There weren't many details about it but it may be a trap. Hence the reason I have twelve Anbu with me." Gaara nodded.

"It seems a little too perfectly suited to her particular qualifications for me to be comfortable with it but I don't really have a choice." He looked at Sakura with a teasing and slightly exasperated expression as the others laughed. Sakura blushed a little and smiled before standing and beginning to clear dishes. She listened to the others talking as she washed the dishes thinking about her mission the next morning and hearing a sudden feminine gasp.

"Oh my gosh Sakura you and I didn't get a chance to hang out today!" Temari ran into the kitchen and grabbed Sakura's arm dragging her out of the kitchen and out the front door before she even had time to protest. "The shops in Suna don't close until really late because more people shop in the evenings when it isn't so hot out. Come on I'm going to show you some really awesome places and then we'll go walk or train or whatever you'd like." Sakura sighed but conceded knowing her sister-in-law was not going to let this go. The sun was starting to set and the sky was a beautiful orange and red as the lights came on in the town and people were still walking around the streets laughing and being merry. Temari brought Sakura to the market end of town walking at a determined pace towards a shop that apparently had the cutest and most versatile clothes in town. It was run by a retired academy teacher and his daughter. He had apparently gotten married and decided to quit being a ninja after his wife died of a disease a few years after the birth of their daughter.

"That's horrible that his wife died. I know how hard it can be on people to lose someone they loved. Especially when they have a little girl." Sakura shook her head and followed Temari into the store. A kind man with a handsome yet aged face greeted them smiling at Temari and creasing his eyes when he looked at Sakura.

"Well now do I finally have the pleasure of meeting the beautiful Kaze-hime? How do you do dear madam my name's Riyuko I run this little store with my daughter Shima. She's in the back sorting some clothes right now I'll call her out here to help you two. Were you looking for anything in particular?" Riyuko smiled as Temari shook her head.

"We're just looking around this is her night out before she leaves for a while." Riyuko nodded his understanding and walked to the back to get Shima.

"Holler if you need something!" Temari smiled and waved to him before turning to look at a skirt with a full sweep and a slit in the side. It looked elegant and Sakura failed to see how it was an article of ninja clothing. That was until Temari caught her confused expression and showed her the knife pocket and concealed weapon pouch on the inside and the fact that the slit was for easy movement.

"They have clothing suited to specific needs like undercover missions and seductive missions as well." Sakura looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Seductive missions?" Temari nodded.

"Here look at this it's a low cut cocktail dress that would certainly catch a man's eyes but inside it has a spot for weapons and a microphone along with a clasp to let out fabric in the skirt and waist for easier movement. That's why it has the ruffles." Sakura was surprised at the ingeniousness of it. She had been on a seductive mission before and almost ripped the dress to shreds fighting. Needless to say Naruto had a major nosebleed when he saw her next thanks to a rather large slit in the side of the dress and a few cuts that showed off some skin dangerously close to her chest. Temari continued to show her things and eventually got her to try on a few evening dresses and fancy dress gowns that she could wear to political events without having to worry about not having weapons on her. She ended up buying two of them and two hair chopsticks that had senbons on the inside. They said their goodbyes to Riyuko and left the store continuing down the market lane to a store that had the most heavenly scents wafting from it.

"What is that absolutely amazing smell?" Temari looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a laugh as Sakura blushed a little.

"It's Suna's very own sweet shop. 'The Dessert' They make really good sweets but the owner likes to experiment a lot. Sometimes his experimental treats are amazing and he continues to make them but sometimes they are awful. Like the experiment with chocolate covered pickles. Some of the women loved them but not enough to keep them around." Sakura thought about pregnancy cravings and how chocolate covered pickles would most likely start to sound really good in a month or so. Temari and her stopped in front of the shop and saw a few children clustered in the window with a hand on the glass their eyes wide as they looked at all the treats lined up. Sakura immediately thought of a small pink haired girl next to a blonde haired girl and two brown haired boys with their faces in much the same expressions with their hands against the cool of the glass.

_"Wow Ino look at that! It's a chocolate cat! Look it even has a little bow on it!" Sakura pointed to the white chocolate cat that sat on the stool in the window of the shop. _

_"Look at how big that bunny is! Wow I'd love to eat that." One of the brown haired boys patted his large stomach as the other laughed. _

_"Choji you'd like anything that was made of chocolate." Shikamaru gave a smile at his friend as the group stayed for a while gawking at the candy and chocolate until they heard their mother's and father's calling them to where they were standing talking to one another. _

Sakura blinked surprised at the sudden memory that she had never even thought to remember. Her face softened as Temari looked at the candy and chocolate from the window. "Come on Temari let's go inside I could do with a sweet." Temari smiled and nodded walking up to the door and pushing it open to the amazing scent of chocolate and sweetness along with the chiming of the bells that hung on the well-worn door. They looked around the warm room and smiled at the young man that walked out wearing an apron and a large smile. He was tall and lanky with a smile that was as warm as the room.

"Hey welcome to The Dessert. Are you looking for something in particular today? Or just looking?" He winked and Temari laughed.

"Well Sakura here seems to have a bit of a sweet tooth and smelled the chocolate." Sakura blushed and the brown haired man laughed.

"Well she's found the right place. This is Suna's only sweet shop and might I add one of the best in all of the countries if I do say so myself." He beamed and Temari laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Ever the modest one Laden." He laughed and leaned on the counter.

"It's a pleasure to meet the new Kaze-hime in person. I made something for your wedding. Well to commemorate it at least. It's over there." Sakura and Temari looked to where he motioned and saw a beautiful chocolate sculpture of her and Gaara side by side with smiles on their faces wearing their ninja clothing and proud looks of confidence and love. The details were incredible Laden had captured everything down to the headband Sakura wore in her hair to the tattoo on Gaara's forehead. The sculpture was in a glass case and had an engraved plate under it.

"To Suna's best Kazekage and their strongest Kaze-hime. May they never be parted." Sakura read aloud and turned to Laden with a smile.

"It's incredible Laden thank you very much. Everyone here has been so kind to me. Please call me Sakura." Laden nodded and straightened up.

"Well Sakura it would be an honor to me if you'd try one of my newest experiments. Don't worry it's nothing crazy just a little bit of raspberry candy and chocolate of course. There's something else in it but I'll see if you can guess that." He smiled and Sakura nodded and Temari laughed.

"You're brave Sakura. I'm not that brave to try one of Laden's creations."

"I heard that." Laden said with a playful glare in Temari's direction along with a half-smile. Temari stuck her tongue out at him as Sakura took on of the candies on the tray Laden held. She took a bit and immediately closed her eyes in bliss.

"Oh my gosh Laden that is the best sweet I think I've ever tasted." Laden beamed proudly as Temari reached over and took one having the same reaction.

"Kami that's amazing! It tastes like raspberry and chocolate and oh I don't even know what to call that." Sakura nodded.

"It's almost like a sort of blueberry taste but not." Laden nodded.

"They're acai berries. They're like blueberries but different. I also made the chocolate different and added a homemade ingredient. I need a name for it and now I've got one. If I have you permission I'd like to call it 'Suna's Blossom' after you of course." He smiled at Sakura and she nodded.

"I'm flattered Laden if you don't mind I'd like some of those and a few other sweets." Laden smiled and nodded his glasses reflecting the light onto his warm face.

"Which ones would you like?" Sakura looked at them and Temari laughed noticing her obvious distress.

"She'll have a little of everything. Surprise us!" Sakura looked at Temari thankfully and Laden nodded preparing a large bag of sweets and adding the Suna's Blossom candies into the mix. He handed it to them and smiled.

"Come back soon Sakura!" She smiled and nodded paying for the candies at a very low price accompanied by a smile from Laden and a cheerful wave goodbye as Temari and Sakura walked out of the store.

"So where to now Temari?" Sakura asked looking at her sister who had an evil smile.

"Why to Suna's best club of course! Come on Sakura let's go have a little fun before you leave. We'll go back to the house, get the boys and go out! You need a night out with your family before you leave and I for one could do with a good martini! Come on Sakura don't give me that look we're going out tonight whether you like it or not!" Sakura's so called 'look' that she gave Temari was actually one of internal panic. Clubbing involved alcohol and that was not something she was going to drink for the next six months. Not a single drop of alcohol would touch her lips and she was sure of that.

_"I agree with you Hun but to be honest they were all at your bachelorette party and saw how you could handle your alcohol and how you didn't pass it up for the most part. You'd better think of an excuse fast and it can't exactly be 'Sorry guys I'm pregnant.'" _Inner was interjecting her thoughts as Sakura was towed back to their house by her rather strong sister-in-law's death grip on her arm.

_"Inner I know this trust me I have a plan." _They made it to the path to their house as Temari walked through the door with a huge smile.

"Hey boys we're all going clubbing tonight to give Sakura a proper send off! Get dressed and we'll get going!" Gaara walked into the hallway where Sakura stood looking semi-exhausted and somewhat worried. He looked at her with a questioning expression and she merely smiled. "Come on Sakura I'll do your makeup and hair once you go get your clubbing outfit on." Temari pushed her towards the stairs and she started up them with Gaara at her side.

"You ok?" She nodded and he took her hand in his. "We don't have to go I had something planned for tonight anyways I'll tell Temari we'll go clubbing another night." Sakura looked at him with large emerald eyes.

"Really?" He nodded and smiled.

"Temari! We're not going you and Shikamaru go ahead and bring Kankuro with you! We're going out to have a night by ourselves." Temari appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a smile and a wink.

"You two have fun we'll go clubbing now and when you get back from your mission Sakura. Your night will be more fun if you don't go clubbing." Shikamaru gave Gaara a look that seemed to say 'thanks for letting her drag me clubbing now.' Gaara merely smirked and turned back towards Sakura taking her hand again.

"Come on I've got something to show you." Sakura nodded and followed him to their room and out onto the balcony where he smiled at her. "It'll be better if we run there." Sakura nodded and jumped up onto the balcony ledge and was surprised as Gaara wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh I get it you don't want to spoil the surprise." She said with a smile as he tied her hetai ate around her eyes like a blindfold.

"Exactly you trust me right?" He asked and she gave him a sideways exhasperated look.

"Of course I do. You don't have to ask that." He chuckled and the vibrations traveled to her body making her smile.

"No I don't have to it's a force of habit I suppose." He scooped her into his arms and she felt the air start to rush past her ears and hair telling her they were running across the roofs of Suna. "It's a good thing it isn't windy out tonight so the sand won't stir up and obstruct the way. Hold onto me tightly we have to cross over a rather rough patch of land." Sakura nodded and gripped his crimson coat tightly. After what seemed like ages the wind stopped and she felt Gaara setting her down.

"Are we there?" She asked reaching up to tug off the blindfold. Gaara's hand stopped hers and she felt his hot breath on her ear.

"Just a little further, hold on my dear Kaze-hime." She shivered a little and knew it wasn't because of the chilly night air of the desert. She felt a guiding hand on the small of her back and walked forward blindly letting him lead her. Finally they stopped and Sakura felt hands in her hair untying the blindfold. She blinked at the sudden soft light that filled the area where they were now standing. The sand under her sandals was still and the moon hung impossibly huge in the sky. They were standing on a beautiful low hanging cliff that overlooked Suna lit up by the full moon that hung in the sky. The stars shone impossibly numerous and beautiful over the city like hundreds of tiny fireflies in the sky. There was a cave behind her with a fire inside and a few blankets with multiple pillows and a very cozy and warm atmosphere.

"Gaara this is amazing." He smiled and pulled her close.

"I know it's nothing like the forests in Konoha or the beautiful waterfalls or the beach but it's one of the only places…" Sakura stopped him with a soft kiss pressed onto his lips.

"It's perfect and outstandingly beautiful because it's our city, our_ home_. Konoha's beauty is different than Suna's beauty but neither is more beautiful than the other. They are both my homes. Konoha is where I've lived my whole life and Suna is where I will live the rest of my life." Gaara's turquoise eyes looked down at his wife's emerald ones and felt a sense of overwhelming pride. This was Suna's Kaze-hime, an amazing doctor and ninja, a beautiful woman, and his wife. He took her into his arms and held her tightly taking in her intoxicating scent and the way she seemed to fit perfectly to his shape. He closed his eyes and stood holding her for what seemed like an eternity never wanting to let her go. He did, however, and saw a smile gracing her perfect lips. He took her hand and led her to the blanket sitting down and opening his arms to her. She sat between his knees with her head on his shoulder and her legs over top of one of his own. One of her hands entwined with his as she listened to the soft lub-dub of his heart matching her own.

"Sakura do you remember the story you told me about how the fireflies came to be?" She nodded and smiled happily. He smiled as well. "I remember a story Temari told me a long time ago about the stars and the sand. It's a fairy tale they tell the children in the village apparently. Almost everyone here knows it." Sakura snuggled closer to him and ran her thumb across his hand.

"I'd like to hear it." Gaara smiled and started talking in a low and hushed tone.

"A long time ago before there were people here this land was made of nothing. There was nothing here but never ending white. The grass from the Fire Country suddenly stopped as soon as it reached here and no animals ever went past that point. Within the Fire Country there lived a playful coyote that wanted more than anything to have a friend to play with. The coyote was lazy, however, and all day he merely lay around and slept while the other animals went about their business in the forest. When night came he woke up and wanted to play. But he could never get any animals to play with him. He asked the deer to play with him but they were too afraid he would eat them. He asked the birds but they had all fallen asleep. He even asked the owl who sat up high in the tree to come and play with him. The owl said he was too busy hunting for mice and flew off leaving the poor coyote all alone in the forest." Sakura was listening with great intent as she laughed a little in her head thinking never in a million years would she have ever though Sabaku no Gaara would be telling her a bed time story.

Gaara continued the story and Sakura continued to listen. "The coyote became so saddened by this that he went to the top of the highest hill and began howling and crying to the moon. 'No one wants to play with me tonight. They all want to sleep and no one wants to have any fun.' He sat there for a while howling and crying until the moon shone light on the whiteness of the land where nothing was. The land lit up a dazzling white making the coyote's eyes go wide as he looked at it. 'Maybe there's someone there that will want to play!' He thought. So he walked into the land where nothing was. As soon as he stepped inside he felt a hot wind on his fur. The ground beneath him was soft and grainy and completely white. He called out but heard no answer as he walked further into the land. After a few minutes he saw something small and brown sitting on the ground. The coyote's eyes sparkled and he ran over to the object seeing that it was a tortoise. The tortoise had a massive paintbrush lying next to him which made the coyote curious. He asked the tortoise if he wanted to play with him but the tortoise merely replied that he was busy painting the place he called a 'desert' Coyote grinned and took the huge paintbrush the tortoise had lying next to him in his mouth. 'I'll paint the desert for you then we can play!' So coyote took off running dragging the huge paintbrush across the desert leaving behind huge streaks of red and orange and yellow. As he ran he kicked up white sand which flew up into the sky and stuck there starting to twinkle and shine. After many, many days coyote had finished painting the desert and had returned to the tortoise. The tortoise smiled and thanked him before disappearing. The coyote was confused and sad thinking that the tortoise had tricked him into painting the desert so he wouldn't have to do any work. The coyote was about to leave when he saw other animals like the lizard and snake come into the desert and look in awe at what the coyote had done. The coyote begged them to stay and play with him and the animals agreed liking the new place that he had created. They stayed and have been here ever since playing with the coyote that made the desert and the stars." Sakura looked at Gaara before bursting into laughter and kissing him softly.

"That was a lovely story Gaara I just can't believe you told it to me. I love you so much." She laughed again as he smiled and kissed her holding her close as the light from the fire illuminated them.

"This is our secret." He said looking at her with a smile and eyes that were soft and loving.

"Of course I'll never tell a soul that Sabaku no Gaara told me a fairy tale. By the way you make a wonderful coyote." He narrowed his eyes playfully and kissed her pushing her onto the blanket gently and smiling as he kissed the mark on her neck.

"As I will never tell anyone that my Kaze-hime is ticklish." Sakura's eyes widened as Gaara grinned mischievously and began to tickle her making Sakura curl up and laugh until there were tears in her eyes. Gaara smiled and kissed them away pulling her into his chest as he laid sideways on the pillows and blankets looking at the flickering fire and the stars outside. After a long while he broke the silence. "I don't want you to go on that mission Sakura. I know that there isn't really a choice but something about it seems…off. It almost seems set up so that nobody but you could possibly do it. That isn't right." He sighed and looked into the fire again as Sakura pulled out of his grasp to look directly at him. He turned his gaze to her and she saw genuine worry in his eyes.

"Hey I'll be perfectly fine. I can handle myself remember? I once stood up to Shukaku and killed an Akatsuki and lived to tell about it. I'm the Hokage's former apprentice and daughter along with the Kaze-hime so yes my name carries some weight, but I'm not planning on waltzing in there pink hair and all and saying 'Hey it's me Sabaku no Sakura!' I will be in disguise until I have to break it and I will have two squads of Anbu with me. Most of which I know and can tell you that they are the best of the best because I've worked with them before." She put her hand on his cheek and smiled. "So stop worrying so much." She kissed him again pushing against his soft lips as his hand came up to tangle in her hair and he pulled her down onto the blanket. They kissed for a few moments before stopping as she curled up in his arms and closed her eyes. "Can we stay here tonight?" she asked. He smiled.

"Of course. Goodnight my Blossom." He whispered kissing her forehead softly as she smiled and fell into a blissful sleep.

Morning came none too gently shining a golden light into the cave where Sakura and Gaara were sleeping. This made Gaara wake up and look out over the city covered in the rays of the morning sun. He looked down at Sakura so innocent and beautiful in her sleep and hated that he would have to wake her. He bent down and kissed her lips slowly bringing her to wake up with a smile.

"Morning." She said sweetly as she stretched and wrapped her arms around him.

"Morning Sakura. We've got to get going back to the house. It's a good thing you packed last night we don't have much time." She nodded and he saw that she was still very tired by the way she yawned and drooped her eyelids. "Here I'll carry you." He said with a smile scooping her up in the blanket she was lying in like a cocoon. She looked at him with a smile and snuggled into his warm chest.

"Ok Gaara thank you." She said with a smile. He nodded and took off on his sand down to the nearest village roof before jumping across them to get to their house. Once there he opened the door and walked inside and up the stairs calling a good morning to Temari who had stuck her head out of the kitchen. She laughed when she saw the pair and shook her head.

"Hey I'm making breakfast so hurry up you two!" She chuckled again and walked back into the kitchen where Shikamaru sat smirking at the table as he read his newspaper seeing the pair walk in with Gaara carrying Sakura. She obviously hadn't told him about the baby or he would have called a meeting about the mission to send someone else or call it off. He shook his head and continued to read as upstairs Sakura had hopped into the shower with Gaara having him wash her hair and then quickly brushing her teeth at the sink before gathering her clothes and putting them on.

"These stupid wrappings!" She growled pulling on the chest wrappings that Gaara seemed to greatly dislike. He walked over and untwisted them for her before helping her secure them. She never wore them tightly but they still slightly reduced her chest size. Gaara shook his head as she put on her shirt and medic skirt before strapping on her packs and kunai holder full of weapons and scrolls.

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this." He said quietly and she turned to him with a smile.

"Don't worry Gaara I told you I'll be fine." She kissed his cheek and lips before grabbing her backpack and slinging it onto her back.

"I know just, Sakura promise me you'll be careful. I can't have you hurt Sakura." She smiled at him sweetly and apologetically.

"I know but it's something I have to do. I'll be careful I promise." She gave him a tight hug and held onto his hand as they walked downstairs where Temari had breakfast ready and Neji sat at the table in his anbu outfit. A bird mask lay on the table next to his breakfast. Sakura sat down as Temari placed eggs in front of her and Sakura popped an anti-nausea pill discretely into her mouth. Shikamaru's eyes looked up briefly from the newspaper at her and she nodded to him as if saying. _"Don't worry we'll be fine." _He nodded and turned back to the paper. She finished her meal quickly and stood as everyone looked at her.

"We'll walk with you down to the gates." Temari said happily as Shikamaru nodded and Kankuro grinned. Gaara slipped his hand into hers and she gave it a reassuring squeeze. They walked quickly out of the house and down to the gates rushed on by Neji who had put on his mask and said that they were to be there within three minutes. Sure enough when they got there the Anbu squads were already waiting and Sakura turned to say goodbye to Gaara who caught her in a passionate kiss holding her tightly and completely surprising her. He was usually rather reserved in public. When he finally pulled away Kankuro wolf whistled and Sakura rolled her eyes hugging him and then Temari and Shikamaru.

"I'll be careful and I'll be back before you know it! I love you all!" Gaara took her hand again as she turned to leave and she looked at him seeing worry evident in his face as much as he was trying to hide it.

"Be safe Sakura I love you." She smiled.

"I love you too Gaara." Pulling her hand away she walked to the center of the first Anbu squad as they set off leaving behind a Kazekage who watched his Kaze-hime leave his city and his arms.

END OF CHAPTER 63! NEXT CHAPTER UP SOON REVIEWS PLEASE! I'M UPDATING FASTER NOW!


	58. Chapter 64

Saki- Ok who wanted the pancakes?

Kisame, Hidan, Deidara- Me! (un)

Saki- Alright here I hope I made enough. I'll go make more just in case.

Kisame- You've made plenty! Come on Saki I'll feed you some pancakes. They're really good. *picks her up and sits her on his lap at the table.*

Saki- Oh all right I am hungry anyways. I own no Naruto or Naruto products!

SO SORRY ABOUT THE LATENESS I WAS WRITING MY FIRST NOVEL TO BE PUBLISHED THEN GOT SLAMMED WITH SCHOOLWORK! YOU ALL HAVE PERMISSION TO HATE ME!

***NEW CHALLENGE!* Draw, paint, or create a picture that you think would fit this story and it will become the cover picture! PM me if you would like to compete!***

Chapter 64

Sakura sat on the ground catching her breath as they stopped for a lunch break and to get some water. They were well hidden behind a huge rocky outcropping near the far edge of Wind Country having made great time getting there. Sakura drank the water greedily and ate a rice ball with a soldier pill before standing and nodding to Neji that she was ready to go. The Anbu all stood and they took off Sakura once again being flanked by Anbu.

An hour later they were nearing the border of Wind Country. The Anbu slowed and turned towards Sakura.

"Lady Kaze-hime you should henge your hair now." Sakura nodded and changed her hair to a brown color before putting it up into a ponytail and putting on glasses that looked like they belonged to someone in the Aburame clan. Apparently Neji thought so as well because she heard a small cough from the Anbu with the bird mask on her right. She rolled her eyes behind the glasses and motioned for the group to pick up the pace again. Soon they could see a small path along the road and a few trees and tall grass in the distance.

They made it into the grassy area traveling as the grass whipped across their legs. Sakura could see the place where a high plateau rose above the grassy ground. The village to where they were headed lay behind this plateau. Sakura's hand rested on her stomach for a brief moment before she pushed the squad to move faster. Soon they were in the shadow of the towering plateau. They couldn't see the village yet but there was a road leading along to where she assumed it must be. They slowed and began walking along it with Sakura in the middle surrounded by Anbu.

The village was modestly sized yet seemed rather empty and devoid of people. One little boy dressed in brown pants and a shirt ran past them carrying what appeared to be a bucket of water. He was sweating heavily and Sakura couldn't help but wonder what he was doing running through the streets with a bucket of water. She turned back to the path walking into the village and seeing only a few people ducking into houses or walking down the streets carrying various things.

"Lad- I mean Yuri, we should go and see the village leader." One of the Anbu, a rather young one by the sound of his voice, said from his place beside her. She nodded and they set off walking through the streets of the rather vacant little village.

After walking for a while they spotted a larger building in the center of the village. Sakura turned to Neji and he nodded stiffly. She motioned to the anbu to go and take positions around the perimeter of the building. They nodded and disappeared leaving only Neji and two others guarding Sakura.

"We should be cautious. It feels too still out here." Neji nodded and the four of them opened the doors and walked inside. Sakura immediately looked around seeing only a young lady sitting at a desk in front of them. She looked a little surprised but quickly composed herself.

"Are you folks from Suna or Mist?" Sakura looked at Neji and he nodded moving forwards.

"We are from Suna and wish to speak with your leader on the matter of the treaty he sent us for." She nodded and stood walking to the door near the left side of the desk. Immediately Sakura's hand twitched towards the weapons stowed in her weapon pouch.

After a few minutes she returned. She looked at Sakura with a smile. "Our leader will see you." Sakura nodded and followed Neji to the door which he opened quickly with a single hand resting on his shuriken concealed in the pouch on his hip. He walked inside first and Sakura followed him. Once inside they walked down the short hallway to a room where they could hear hushed voices. Neji knocked on the door and the voices ceased as they heard a click as the door opened.

"Please, come in." A voice called and Neji nodded walking in first with Sakura close behind.

In the room there was a long table with men sitting along it. At the end of the table was a taller man in a chair with a worn expression and wrinkles along his brow. Sakura knew the expression he wore as she had seen it on Gaara's face and Tsunade's face as well. He was being forced into doing something he didn't want to do. This made Sakura go immediately on edge.

"Please come and sit. We have been waiting for an ambassador from Suna for quite some time." He gave a fake smile and motioned for them to sit down.

Sakura took the empty seat and Neji and the other anbu stood immediately behind her. The leader smiled and turned to Sakura.

"Now what is your name dear?"

"Yuri Moshido. I'm a nurse at the Suna hospital and I'm a part of the council in Suna." She said, already having prepared her backstory. The leader nodded and Sakura noticed his look of disappointment. So they really were expecting her, as Sakura, to come not some nurse.

"Well you will certainly be of help to us. My guards will show you to the facilities where you are needed at the moment. We've been attacked by ninjas we believe come from the Hidden Mist Village. No one has seen their faces of those who returned but we also can't seem to get those who return from these attacks to wake up. They are all comatose." He sighed and Sakura nodded before standing and bowing to the group of men. She left quickly following the guards to a large building that seemed to be the local hospital. Once inside she saw a hallway leading to rooms filled with men that were bloody and all asleep. There were at least twenty men comatose in the rooms. Sakura sighed and immediately got ready to go to work.

"Nurse get him hooked up to some A+ blood as quick as you can." Sakura had wrapped a man's bleeding torso and healed it as best as she could without using too much chakra. The man had lost a good amount of blood and was completely comatose like the six other patients she had already attended. On each there were katana cuts as well as other scrapes and bruises. One man had been badly burned by what looked like an explosion of some sort.

Sakura was completely baffled by the man's vitals. His pulse and respiration were slow like someone who was completely healthy and asleep. They should have been much higher since he was healing injuries. This was the eighth patient she had come to and the vitals were the same as all of the others. It was as if someone had put them into a state of sleep. But it was more than that because if they were only in comas they would still have different vitals due to the severe injuries they had all sustained.

She was completely baffled and very concerned about the state of the men. As soon as she had checked over the rest of them she made her way out of the small building to where Neji stood guarding the entrance. He gave her a turn of his head from behind the mask and she sighed.

"I'm done for the day there's nothing else I can do for them now. Do we have a place to stay?" Neji nodded stiffly and motioned her forwards.

She followed him to the small hotel in the village partially concealed against the rock of the plateau the town was built against. They got the room key from the lady at the desk and Sakura followed Neji and the other anbu to her room. Two anbu stood on guard outside of her door and the other two, along with Neji, followed her into the room.

"Is it clear?" She asked and Neji nodded, having activated his byakugan to be sure they were safe in the room.

Sakura sighed and dropped the henge before flopping down onto the couch. Neji noticed she looked a little more tired than usual and a slight sheen of sweat covered her brow.

"Sakura. I believe this is a ploy to get you captured by the Mist ninja. Surely you noticed the way the leader acted when you said you were merely a nurse. He expected you to come. Did you see how the people are all scared to be in the streets? There are Mist ninja here already or they are watching us from a distance but there's no doubt in my mind that they are indeed waiting for you." Neji's voice was hard and cold but behind it was a hint of caring that Sakura had come to pick out from his minute emotions over the years.

"I know. Those patients are under some jutsu. They are in a state of sleep that isn't normal for patients with healing wounds. I can't figure it out but I think our best bet is to start trying to find these Mist ninja and attend to the patients as best as we can." Neji nodded to one of the anbu who bowed slightly and looked at Sakura from behind his mask.

"Lady Sakura we can't afford to let you endanger yourself unless absolutely necessary. We will take care of finding the ninja and eliminating them while finding out their motives." Sakura nodded and the anbu left the room leaving her alone with Neji, who had since taken off his mask and sat on the chair across from Sakura.

"Sakura are you alright? You were faltering today when we were traveling and seem to be much more tired than usual." Sakura sighed a little and looked at him with a small smile.

"I'm fine just a little run down. I'm going to get some rest." Neji nodded and stood before bowing slightly and putting his mask back on.

"Goodnight Sakura."

"Goodnight Neji." He nodded once more and walked out of the room, shutting the door and leaving Sakura in the dim light of the tiny hotel room.

Immediately she stood and began to take off the shirt and skirt she wore. Once she was only in her wrappings and shorts she took off her shoes and her weapons pouch setting it on the nightstand right next to her bed. She undid her chest wrappings carefully and slid on a tank top she had previously laid on the bed. Her body was exhausted from the chakra she used today and she knew it was because the baby was making her tired. Their chakra lines were linked together and her chakra was flowing into the baby as well. This took away a lot of her energy and also forced her to constantly monitor her chakra levels. For the next five-six months she would have to take it easy and avoid using any jutsus over a level three. This would seriously hinder her if the mission went sour but she was determined not to let that happen.

With a sigh she snuggled under the covers and stroked her now pudgy stomach feeling that the strong abs she had obtained over the years were hidden under a soft mound of pudgy flesh. She could feel a small bump but nothing that would be noticeable to anyone else yet. For this she was grateful. At least she could keep it a secret for a while longer.

The next morning came suddenly with Sakura never realizing she had fallen asleep. With a yawn she stood and grabbed a bottle of pills from her bag that lay on the floor near her bed. She swallowed one and then walked to the bathroom where she was met with a lovely reflection of severely mussed pink hair and a wrinkled tank top folded up slightly so it showed off a little bit of a pudgy belly. There were no circles under her eyes and she didn't feel as tired as the day before.

Deciding that the bed head she had obtained was too much for a brush to deal with, she decided to take a much needed shower to eliminate the messy hair.

Letting the warm water wash away her worries was working until she heard a knock on the door. With a sigh she turned off the water and got out drying off as best as she could before sliding on panties and wrapping herself in a fluffy robe she grabbed from her bag before wrapping her hair in a towel to keep it from dripping.

"Come in!" She called sitting on the couch and rubbing the toe she had managed to smack on the coffee table as she was rushing about.

"Sorry to intrude Lady Sakura but our leader told us you were to be informed that enemy ninja had been spotted a few miles away last night. He says to bring your things with you today in case you have to leave suddenly." The young anbu looked rather embarrassed judging from the way he had only stepped in the room and shut the door, not having moved forwards at all. Sakura nodded and tried her best to keep the front of the robe from showing too much leg as she sat on the couch.

"Thank you. Please be on alert today." The anbu nodded and bowed before leaving the room.

"So much for me having a relaxing day." She mumbled, standing and reaching for her abandoned chest wrappings that lay on the coffee table from the night before.

Sakura had finished snapping her weapons pouch back onto her leg when she heard another knock on the door. "I'm coming!" She called, walking to the door with her packs in hand, ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Upon opening the door she was immediately rushed forwards down the corridor by two anbu, one of which was Neji.

"There's been a change in plans. We've told everyone to get to a safe place and we're getting you out of here. The 'diplomatic mission' was a trap like we had suspected. The Mist ninja moved in here a few minutes ago. You can't see anything outside and it's nearly impossible to fight." Sakura nodded.

"They're using the Hidden Mist tactics all right. We can't let this become a major political issue. They need to be eliminated. The Hidden Mist Village could wage war on Suna and we are not ready to fight at the moment. We need to deal with them quickly. My guess is they are rogues or are a separate group not affiliated with the Hidden Mist directly. They seem to be acting rather out of term. I mean, why would the Hidden Mist Village suddenly be interested in this tiny village? They wouldn't. It's not like them to take over tiny villages. It sounds too much like the work of rogues. Believe me I was on a similar mission a few months ago. On the other hand, if they are with Hidden Mist it could turn to a war, like I said." Neji nodded as they came to the entrance of the hotel where Sakura could see only mist outside. Sakura saw him grab a kunai and hold it at the ready and she did the same as they stepped out into the damp air.

Sakura felt the presence of a few chakra signatures, but in the thickness of the fog they were fuzzy and distorted. She couldn't tell if they were friend or foe.

She started moving, following Neji and his byakugan through the mist. Behind her the other anbu member followed close.

Something whizzed past Sakura's head and immediately Neji was in a fighting stance and the young anbu was covering her as Sakura herself was preparing for a fight. The young anbu suddenly pushed her back and she caught her footing in time to see him engage a ninja with a mask on and pitch black hair. She watched as Neji dropped back to stand back to back with her as the ninja disappeared back into the mist.

With a sudden rush forwards Sakura saw Neji bring down a ninja leaving her alone in the Mist. The young anbu was fighting with a new ninja now and was moving further and further away from Sakura and Neji.

Her senses were completely alert but not doing her much good. She didn't bother extending her chakra knowing in the mist it was nearly impossible to sense chakra signatures. She was completely blind until someone got into her range of sight.

A kunai hit the ground near her foot and she tensed but didn't jump knowing that doing so would leave her exposed in the air. She stood completely still, her hand closed around kunai and ready to throw.

As a shadow moved towards her left she launched a kunai in that direction and heard a small hiss of pain giving her the advantage as she lashed out striking a solid blow on a ninja who had fallen to the ground with her kunai lodged in his side. He looked very young but not at all frightened. With a quick slash she cut him down as another launched at her from behind. He managed a solid scrape across her arm but nothing more as she launched into a full hand-to-hand combat with him.

His moves were quick and steady and hers were rather the opposite. She was a little more sluggish and shaky than normal. Her movements were slowing and she felt heavy and exhausted.

With a last effort she brought him down as the mist began to fade in her area. Her arms and legs were tired and she realized that every ninja she had seen had been wearing a mask. With a start she covered her mouth realizing the reason she was fatigued and weak was because it was some kind of sleeping gas. Her eyes grew heavy as she stumbled a little towards where she could see Neji battling with another ninja. She was close to him when she felt a strong hit to the back of her neck and then blackness.

Neji saw her fall and called out as the man who had hit her scooped her up and darted off with the limp Kunoichi in his arms.

Hours later Sakura woke up to a chilling moist feeling on her face and skin as she realized with a sudden start that it was cold, damp, and very dark where she was. Her hands and feet were bound with chakra sucking chains and she was sitting in a very damp cell in some type of underground room.

She blinked and sat up, looking around in the darkness of the enclosed area. She knew three things at this point and none of them were looking to be very good.

_"I've been kidnapped, I'm in a cell somewhere near Hidden Mist, and I'm alone." _Her heart rate sped up and she cursed herself for being so stupid. She hadn't watched out well enough or listened to Gaara when he told her not to go.

_"Gaara will be so worried. I hope Neji has the mind to wait to tell him, at least for a little while."_ A tear ran down Sakura's usually happy face and fell onto the fabric of her shirt. Her arm throbbed from where she had been cut and she saw a simple bandage wrapped around it, most likely to keep her from bleeding out. They obviously wanted her alive or they could have simply killed her. With a solid glare into the dark she hissed in frustration and laid an arm across her stomach.

"You bastards!" You yelled into the blackness. She was angry enough to take on a whole squad of ninja but in her condition even with her chakra she would be hard pressed to manage even three or four. A chilling laugh filled the dark enclosure and Sakura immediately started to scowl once again.

"Sorry about the accommodations doll. I know they aren't anything like what you're used to. A princess like you is probably pampered aren't you?" A tall man with dark eyes and slicked back brown hair walked into her cell flicking on a dim light that made Sakura blink and squint.

The man had a strong jaw with a pair of lips that curled into a smirk that most women probably found incredibly sexy. But Sakura was not most women and all she wanted to do at the moment was punch him into the ground.

"They aren't the worst I've been in." She spat back. He chuckled.

"A little spitfire huh? I like that in a woman. Anyways, sorry if you got attached to this place but you're to be given a much nicer room. After all, you're our guest of honor." He grinned and two other men moved in to the cell unchaining her from the wall but keeping her in the handcuffs as she struggled to stand feeling very weak from being knocked out and having her chakra taken away.

The men blindfolded her and practically drug her along the corridors and up a flight of stairs until she found the blindfold being removed along with the handcuffs which were replaced with softer ones that merely bound around her wrists like bracelets.

"We're sorry to have had to treat you like that doll but I will have someone come and attend to you in a moment. We can't have you looking like that when you're to be presented as a gift." He smiled and waved to her before walking out of the room.

Sakura cursed herself for being so vulnerable. Her body was exhausted and she could do little more than lie on the soft bed she had been set on. A sigh escaped her lips but she allowed nothing else as she heard the door open once again and saw two girls walk into the room.

"Hello Miss. We were told to attend to you." Sakura looked at them and nodded knowing she had no choice and her wounds did need to be cleaned and healed. She would find a way to escape from this once she was well enough to leave.

"We'll help you into the bathroom Miss and then we'll clean your wounds." Sakura nodded not protesting a hot bath at all no matter if she was a prisoner or not. The girls helped her stand and brought her to the bathroom letting her take off her torn shirt and dirty skirt before turning on the bath and adding some kind of herbal mix to it. Sakura took off her chest wrappings, shorts, and panties as the girls turned their backs. She stepped into the hot water and hissed in pleasure before sinking into the bubbles that were forming in the bath.

The girls cleaned the wound on her arm and healed it before bowing and leaving her to finish her bath in peace. Sakura sighed and washed herself before slowly getting out of the hot water feeling a little bit better but still very uptight and angry about her situation.

Her mind raced as she slipped into the simple kimono that had been laid out on her bed. It was a little big but she didn't care as she collapsed onto the bed pulling angrily at the cuffs on her wrists. They were restricting her flow of chakra and she couldn't do anything with them on. For the time being she was stuck as a prisoner. She only hoped it wouldn't be for long.

END OF CHAPTER 64! SORRY IT'S SO LAME AND TOOK SO LONG BUT I HAVE THE WORST CASE OF WRITERS BLOCK RIGHT NOW! MORE CHAPTERS SOON! I LOVE YOU ALL AND REVIEW PLEASE! EVEN IF IT'S JUST TO YELL AT ME!


	59. OMG I AM SO SORRY!

Dearest Fans, Readers, Lost Travelers, and Friends,

My sincerest apologies for not updating this story! I am a terrible author who has a life outside of her writing and fangirling that tends to overlap into my allotted time for writing and enjoying the simple things that come with being a writer of this particular story.

As I have stated before, life gets in the way of things. My thoughts at the beginning of last year was that I was going to breeze through this story, as I had been doing, having plenty of time to write outside of my schoolwork and jobs and other things that ended up on my busy plate.

I ended up getting sucked into schooling, moving to another country, traveling and generally not being able to write. I am sincerely sorry to you all.

As a reader, I understand the pain of waiting, and waiting, and waiting, for someone to update a story and give you some little glimmer of hope for them to continue. I will be continuing this. I also enjoy this very much and I hope that you do as well. So I will be updating as soon as I can but it may not be for a while longer.

I am planning on overhauling the entire story as well. I began writing this long before I posted it and was unfortunately rather young when I started. The first 30 chapters or so will be in the process of being overhauled before I continue with the story further. I know this is frustrating for you all but please believe that I am trying.

Please feel free to talk to me through PM messages, or follow me on Tumblr at .com.

Love to you all,

Your loving author Saki

aka ele-boppers


	60. Chapter 65

Saki- Hey guys I'm updating again! My writers block is going away!

Itachi- I'm glad to hear that, now if you don't mind may I go? I need to train.

Saki- Say the lines first then yes you may leave.

Itachi- She owns none of the Naruto franchise at all.

Chapter 65

Sakura woke to the sound of someone unlocking her door. She couldn't remember falling asleep on the bed but that was not surprising seeing as it was as soft as her bed in Suna but not nearly as warm.

"Miss. We are to get you dressed into nice clothes and take you to see the Master. He wishes for you to dine with him." The two girls who had helped her previously had returned with a very intricate silk dress in their hands. Sakura nodded and stood not wanting to cause any problems for the girls who were obviously only servants and were innocent compared to her kidnappers. She still felt weak as she stood and found herself worrying about the amount of chakra the baby was receiving seeing as how her chakra was being restricted.

"Miss please step into here." The smaller girl said quietly motioning for Sakura to step into the dress. She blinked for a moment and nodded stepping into the mass of silk that lay on the floor as the girls pulled the dress up and over her shoulders before securing the straps around the back of her neck.

The dress was in a halter style and was long and gathered at the back. It was a pale blue that made her bright pink hair and green eyes stand out against the color. It wasn't unpleasant and would have been beautiful had it not revolted her to think her captors were making her wear it. She felt sick at the prospect of having to have dinner with the girl's "Master."

"Miss we are finished please follow us now." Sakura nodded deftly taking the girl's arm as she felt very weak, letting the girls help to guide her out into the hall where the guards and the man from earlier stood waiting for her.

The man gave a large grin and looked her over. "Well look at that you're a real beauty aren't you Doll?" Sakura glared but could do nothing in her weakened condition.

"I'd be more appealing if I had the strength to stand on my own." The man's brow furrowed and he looked at her with a strange look.

"Are you sure you're actually the famous Pink Blossom of Konoha? I heard she was strong enough to bring down an entire village with a single punch." Sakura glared again as the man raised an eyebrow. "The girl who fought and killed a famous Akatsuki member. The same girl who could kill squadrons of men and was renowned everywhere for being as strong as the great Slug Sannin herself?"

"Even she can lose the strength to stand when she's been put in chakra restricting cuffs when she's in a condition such as this." She gestured to her body not thinking about what she had said and hoping that the man would merely think it was because she was injured. He raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"That's understandable. Regardless the chakra cuffs stay on. Sorry but we can't risk you getting that monstrous strength of yours back." He held out an arm for her and the girls let go forcing Sakura to link her arm with the man's in order to be able to walk properly. He held her up firmly as they walked forwards with Sakura leaning heavily against him and dreading every minute of it.

They eventually came to a door at the end of a corridor that had a high archway and very intricate carvings adorning it. The door swung open and Sakura found herself in a large dining room with a long table set for four. The man let her sit in one of the chairs at the head of the table and took the chair on the side of the table. The door opened behind her and she saw a young man in anbu clothing walk to the other head of the table and sit before looking at her with a smile.

"Lady Sakura how nice to see you again." His voice was very familiar but she didn't recognize it, at least she didn't until he placed a red cat mask with a blue diamond on the forehead down on the table.

"You're- but everything checked out?! You dirty rat!" Sakura was furious. This was one of the anbu that had been escorting her. He was an anbu member that had been with her on missions before seeing as how he was a Konoha Anbu member. Neko was his code name, what his real name was she didn't know. He had always been a minor partner and she hadn't bothered to know his real name. He was just another anbu member she had worked with on missions.

Now he sat smiling at her smugly as she sat helplessly as his prisoner. Oh how she wanted to punch him square in the jaw and beat him within an inch of his life. He chuckled at her seething face and motioned for the waiters standing by the sides of the room to bring forward the drinks they were holding. A cup of wine and a glass of water were set before her but Sakura paid them no mind.

"Well I assume you're surprised, that's to be expected, but I must say you're showing considerable restraint for someone renowned for her short temper and extraordinary strength." He sipped his wine and then furrowed his brow slightly. "Ah my apologies for the chakra cuffs but I couldn't take any chances you see." Sakura merely glared at him with a hatred that reached her very being.

"You're lucky I'm wearing them. If I wasn't in this position you wouldn't be here right now." Neko chuckled and shook his head.

"Now, now be polite. I've had to deal with your temper before and I will admit I'm terrified of it just as I'm sure everyone is. You're famous for it after all." Sakura sighed and took a sip of her water trying her best to contain her anger. "Besides, I wouldn't want my guest to leave now that I've finally caught her attention." He grinned and Sakura stood up suddenly glaring daggers at him.

"You took me away from my mission and my home and you expect me to be polite?! I just wanted to help the village what the hell is it to you anyways?!" She couldn't help it. She was yelling now, her exhausted body pushing itself to the max to keep her standing as she leaned heavily against the table. Neko was looking a little concerned as Sakura struggled to keep her angry composure. The other man sitting to her left was looking rather worried as well as Sakura's hand was dangerously close to the knife at her place setting.

"Please sit Lady Sakura. You are in no condition to be standing when you're so obviously weakened." Neko said calmly obviously choosing his words carefully. Sakura was shaking in anger and exhaustion now as she launched the knife quickly at Neko's head making him duck as it hit right where his head had been previously with a considerable amount of force. He looked at her and chuckled before taking the knife out of his chair and motioning for the guards to make her sit down once more.

She sank into the chair reluctantly as the man who had called her doll chuckled and then guffawed.

"Jeez boss she's one tough cookie!" Neko laughed as well as Sakura glared daggers at them both.

"Indeed. Now please let us enjoy a nice civilized meal as I explain my plan for you." He snapped his fingers and the waiters brought forward trays laden with sushi and meat as well as vegetables and fruit. Sakura hadn't eaten this well in a while having only made food for her family and never anything as luxurious as this.

The man next to her had dug into his plate and Neko had as well leaving Sakura to stare at her empty plate. One of the waiters saw her not moving towards the food and took her plate from her place setting. Meat was placed on it along with a pear and some vegetables and rice. The waiter set it before her and gave her a pitying look before leaving.

The two men sat eating their food as Sakura sat staring at hers. She looked at the plate with hunger and then up to Neko who was watching her like a hawk. After a while of this she sighed and decided that she was going to need to eat to gain her strength back. Neko smiled when he saw her give in and begin to eat the food.

"Does the food please you?" He asked and Sakura merely shot him a glare that would send most people running. "Good. Now as for what I plan to use you for isn't it obvious? The wife of the Kazekage, the Kaze-hime herself, is a great bargaining chip. Not to mention you are the adoptive daughter of the Hokage so I might be able to get a double deal out of this little exchange." He laughed and Sakura's eyes narrowed. Of course she was a bargaining chip. No doubt her life for Suna and possibly Konoha. He was a sick bastard indeed for thinking he could get away with it. It was so cliché. She had been on countless missions with hostages demanding money or land or a multitude of things. She had no doubt he would be caught and she would be home to Suna where she would tell Gaara her secret without delay.

"You can try." She said simply and Neko raised an eyebrow as Sakura went back to her eating in silence.

Back in the village where the mission had taken place there was absolute chaos. The anbu had all been knocked unconscious by the fog and had only just woken up to a foggy town with no Sakura in sight. After checking everywhere there was an outbreak of chaos as the townspeople were ordered inside and the anbu rushed to Neji for guidance.

Not only was Sakura missing but another anbu member was as well. Neji was frantic. Sakura was his responsibility and if the Kazekage got wind of his wife's kidnapping Neji's job and the fate of Suna would be on the line. Not to mention Sakura's safety. For this reason a sweaty and angry Neji called the anbu together in the middle of the still foggy town to issue an order that would be going against all other orders he had been given.

"Listen all of you! This village is to be isolated. I will send reports back to Suna that says everything is fine and nothing is different save for the disease taking longer to cure than expected. Not a word of this gets out to anyone understand? The fate of Suna and possibly the Kaze-hime is at stake here! We cannot let the Kazekage become aware of her capture! It will make things worse." A young and very frightened anbu member tried to speak up but Neji cut him off viciously. "No questions! If any one of you breathes a word of this I will end your career and possibly your lives. End of story. These are orders everyone. Stick to them! Now five of you will stay here on patrol, the rest of you will come with me. Gather your things. We're going to get the Kaze-hime back." Neji donned his anbu mask and without a word the others followed him leaving five behind. They all couldn't risk having anything go wrong at this point. The situation was dire and delicate.

Back in the place where Sakura had been captured things were much less frantic but a tension still hung about the room. Sakura had finished the meal with no more incidents and was brought back to her room as Neko stated that she was "very tired and needed rest." Sakura glared at him but was secretly thankful to be leaving his presence and going back to the nice soft bed where she could rest and gain her strength back. The chakra cuffs were really draining her of energy. That, coupled with the worry she had for her baby if the cuffs were not removed, was making her physically and mentally exhausted. She was leaning so heavily on the man that had walked her to the dinner that he was stumbling a little and was giving her a rather concerned look.

"You sure are tired and weak huh? How the mighty have fallen." He mumbled and chuckled as Sakura glared at him but did no more as she really was weak and exhausted. Once she was in her room she moved to the bed with the help of the two servant girls who helped her dress into a nightgown before crawling under the covers. She closed her eyes immediately and fell into a deep sleep.

Neji was running his team thin as they fanned out across a large area running quickly through the trees and scanning the ground. Neji had his Byakugan activated and was searching tirelessly knowing the base was in Mist Country and close enough to the village that the attackers were comfortable enough to make an attack in daylight and take Sakura while knowing they could escape to somewhere close and safe. One thought was nagging at Neji's mind as they ran. The anbu member that had disappeared. They wouldn't have targeted him as well. It was clear their target was Sakura and he was an anbu that was just another face. Neji never paid any attention to him as he was just another member that had joined to be stronger.

He furrowed his brow and continued to scan the ground with his Byakugan, not bothering to care about the darkness or the other anbu member's slowing speeds as they began to tire. After an hour Neji thought he caught a glimpse of a chakra signature and stopped the anbu members with a single whistle into the microphone around his neck. All of the anbu immediately convened in the trees around him and waited for his instructions. Faintly, Neji could see a chakra signature that was wavering and seemed very suppressed. There were multiple other signatures as well, all very strong and healthy. He couldn't make the signatures out completely, but he knew he had found something that seemed promising.

"We'll stay here tonight. Take turns with guard. I'll take first watch. Get some rest but don't leave your trees." The other anbu members nodded in the dark as Neji turned his Byakugan off and switched to using pure chakra to see in the darkness of the forest. He scanned the ground constantly and didn't notice the hours ticking by until a hand on his shoulder told him his watch was over. With a final glance he nodded to the anbu member and moved out of his way.

_"Sakura you better be alright or the others will kill me." _

Morning came slowly and Sakura woke to the sound of a large crash in the hall and her door being thrust open roughly. She sat up quickly inducing a little bit of vertigo as she blinked in the sudden brightness. The two servants from before had been shoved into her room and both looked terrified as they rushed to her side and urged her to hurry and stand. Sakura wavered a little listening to their frantic pleas as they stuck her in her ninja clothing without the weapon pouches and slid her shoes on her feet before tying her hair back into a ponytail rather roughly. She let them do this as she heard the terror in their voices as they said they had to leave and needed to be quick. After she was all dressed the girls backed away and two guards along with Neko and the other man barged into the room.

Neko glared at her and Sakura wondered what had happened. She didn't have long to wait as Neko began to speak as the guards took both of her arms and began to walk her down the hall with the others following.

"Our dear anbu have somehow found our hideout and are currently attempting to get to you. Not to worry though! We have a way out that they don't know about." Sakura's confused and sleepy brain was waking up now giving way to a glimmer of hope.

"NEJI!" She yelled as loud as she could before Neko spun around and hit her squarely in the jaw, not hard enough to break it but Sakura knew it would swell immensely nonetheless.

"Keep quiet!" He yelled seeming more panicked and hurried as a cloth was tied tightly onto her mouth to gag her. Sakura found herself being practically dragged through the halls to a door that undoubtedly led to the forest outside. The door was flung open and the dim morning light filled Sakura's vision as suddenly she was in the forest running as fast as she could with the guards hurrying her along. She only hoped Neji could see them leaving or at least heard her yell.

A loud shout of his name had Neji's head jerking upwards and his Byakugan scanning quickly through the base. With a barked order to the others they pulled out of the crumbling rubble and fighting they were engaged in and all made a beeline for the place Neji was directing them to.

"The Kaze-hime is alright! They're taking her farther away! Hurry it up!" With a burst of speed they were running across the brittle ground, sticks and dirt flying beneath their feet as the group of anbu jumped into the trees, running as they had been taught to do in their tactical training. Neji's eyes were fixated on Sakura's almost transparent chakra signature. They had chakra cuffs on her as expected and she was most likely very weak and drained.

All thoughts were on Sakura now, both good and bad. Neko was hurrying her along as they had given up trying to make her run faster as the guard had then thrown her onto his back and took off running once more with the anbu in hot pursuit.

Neji now had a clear view of them and had caught a glimpse of a pink haired Kaze-hime on the back of a guard being hurriedly carried through the trees. He pushed forwards with renewed strength and fury as he urged his team to begin to cage them in fanning out in a semi-circle around them as they ran. They were gaining on them and only a little room between them prevented them from closing the gap.

Sakura caught a glimpse of an anbu uniform in the trees beside her and immediately her hopes soared. With a large kick to the side of the guard he stumbled and Sakura felt herself falling suddenly out of the tree as she frantically reached for something to grab on to. She landed hard on what she thought was the round until she felt herself being suddenly lifting her into the air. She saw the seething face of Neko above her and her eyes widened in horror as she heard her name screamed loudly by the voice of Neji before a hit to her head sent her into blackness.

Neji saw Sakura fall and pushed forwards to catch her at the same time a huge white object blocked his line of vision and had him stop suddenly as he watched in horror as a massive bird-like creature caught Sakura on its back and moved upwards. Terror filled him as he screamed out at the top of his lungs, "SAKURA!"

Bright lights flashed in the darkness as Sakura found herself hovering in the hazy border between consciousness and unconsciousness. She could make out sounds of what sounded like air rushing past her and the feeling of being pinned down. She felt the feeling of moving down and soon a sudden jolt shook her roughly into the area of consciousness that had her blinking in the bright lights hearing a cry of agony followed by an explosion that wracked her entire body and threw her backwards.

She looked around suddenly completely awake as she saw the end of what looked like a large fight. She was in a clearing in a place she didn't recognize as the forest was definitely not the marshy forest she was previously in but a lush and fertile one that reminded her of the forests of Konoha. She could see the form of Neko lying face down on the ground burned, and surrounded by red blood. There was also a large bird-like creature lying dead near him which she assumed was the thing that had caught her when she fell off of the guard's back.

Her frantic eyes looked for their attackers finding them suddenly next to her in the form of two masked men with weapons at her throat and a woman with black hair and yellow eyes staring at her with a slight crease in her brow. Sakura looked up at her and raised her hands in surrender as her mouth was still gagged.

"I don't think she's with him. She looks like a prisoner. Nevertheless we can't take chances. Pick her up and we'll take her back to the village. I have all of the packs he had." The woman turned away from her and Sakura found herself lifted up by the two men as they helped support her. She was glad to know Nero had taken her packs with him as they contained all of her weapons and spare clothes along with her medical supplies.

They walked away from the scene of the fight leaving Sakura still utterly bewildered as to where she was, who these strange rescuers were, and what Neko's motives were. Her main confusing concern was about Neji and the others who had found her and now were most likely in the dark as much as her as to where she was.

They walked for what seemed like an hour before reaching a dirt path leading to a small village that was built in to a large hill, surrounded by forest, making it incredibly secluded.

They walked into the town receiving stares from the people within it. Immediately Sakura noticed that they were all in ninja clothing, most with weapon pouches or swords strapped to them and some with bizarre coverings over their faces or bodies. There were many of them coming to and fro in the town buying things from the vendors on the street, all of which were also wearing clothing that marked them as ninja.

Sakura's mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that this was a town for bounty hunters, deserters, rogues, and possibly even Akatsuki or dangerous ninja. She had been to a few before to weed out some of the worst ones and had always been told towns like these were for those with no loyalty to any of the hidden villages or any village at all for that matter. The town did seem different from the ones she had visited before, however, as she saw none of the tell-tale signs of a "deserter town" as they were called, other than the population of only ninja. Most deserter towns were filthy places usually falling apart or within sections of poor towns with high crime rates, hooker houses, bars, and a general bad aura. As far as she could see, the town looked clean. There were shops and vendors in the streets and everything about it seemed rather normal aside from all of the ninja. There was a small medical clinic that they passed, and not far from it there was a ramen stand where a group of ninja were laughing and talking only stopping to stare at her as she passed.

"Hey Jera! What's going on?" One of them called to the woman walking in front of her. She turned and smiled at him slightly.

"Nothing, just found her with that one that was flying over. We think she's a prisoner of his but we're bringing her to Jiro just in case." The man nodded and went back to his buddies at the ramen stand as the men began walking again practically dragging Sakura along.

The woman, Jera, looked back at her once and seemed to scan her face before turning forwards once more and walking up a set of stairs they had come to. A small temple-like building sat at the top with ninja walking in and out of it on the pathway that led to the stairs. All were staring and giving her and the two men holding her a large girth as they went on their way.

Upon entering the building Sakura was led to a room where Jera stepped in with the men and Sakura right behind her. Jera motioned for them to set Sakura down and untie her gag as she walked over to a chair that was turned towards the open windows looking out over a garden. She heard Jera talking quietly before setting all of Sakura's packs on the desk. Sakura watched as an older looking man stood and walked towards her.

"So Jera tells me you were with the man Tono on the large bird when he was brought down am I correct?" Sakura nodded remembering her place and showing her resect to her saviors, as that was in fact what they were in a strange way. "So were you this man's prisoner?"

"Yes." Jiro nodded and looked down at Sakura's hands picking them up in his own and looking at where the chakra cuffs had irritated her skin making it red and bloody. He let go of her hands and moved to the bruises on her head where Neko, or Tono, had hit her to knock her out. His hand also touched her swollen jaw lightly sending pain through Sakura's face.

"You have certainly been treated roughly haven't you?" Sakura nodded. Jiro turned to Jera and smiled a little. "She seems to be simply a prisoner but I would like to talk to her and learn her story after she has been cleaned up and her wounds attended to. Take her to the clinic and tell them to take good care of her. She's a guest of mine from now on." He smiled at Sakura and she looked at him completely bewildered and exceedingly grateful.

Jera bowed to him and the men helped Sakura up once more as they walked down through the village and into the clinic where she was handed to a nurse in a medical ninja uniform. They took off the chakra cuffs and laid her down on a bed removing her clothes and doing a full check before healing her jaw, head and wrists with soothing chakra. Immediately Sakura felt her strength returning and though she knew it would be a day or two until her chakra was completely recovered she was comforted in knowing she would be alright. Her worry turned only to her baby and she reached out a hand to the nurse who was about to leave after finishing cleaning her up and checking over her.

"Please, can you check something else for me?" The nurse looked baffled as Sakura sat up and lifted up the hospital shirt she was wearing. "I would do it myself but my chakra hasn't returned." The nurse looked completely shocked and looked at Sakura with confusion.

"I don't understand Miss what do you want me to check? Is your stomach in pain?" Sakura shook her head.

"I'm a medical ninja like you and I would check to see how my baby is doing but as you can tell I have very little chakra at the current moment." She was a bit irritated as the nurse looked suddenly very concerned and apologetic.

"I'm so sorry! I had no idea! Here of course I'll check!" She laid her hands on Sakura's stomach and Sakura sat still looking at her with a hopeful and very worried look relaxing only when the nurse smiled. "The baby's a little weak but fine. I'll bring you some food to help you gain your strength back and tell Jera you'll be fine to go in an hour or two." Sakura thanked her as the nurse left in a hurry to bring her food. Sakura sat with a happy and very relieved smile on her face as she laid a hand on her stomach.

"As long as you're alright I can get through this and get home." She heard a small chuckle and turned her head to see Jera leaning against the door frame.

"Well I certainly didn't think the little prisoner we found was in the family way." Sakura smiled at her and nodded.

"Yeah I'd be surprised as well if I was in your position." Jera walked over to her bed and sat down on the chair next to her.

"It makes you even more intriguing. I'm looking forward to the entire story but Jiro said to wait until you could see him and explain. He sent me down to give you your packs back as a token of us not trusting you." Sakura took the packs from her and looked at her even more confused.

"Is it wrong for me to say I am completely bewildered as to where I am, who you all are, what that guy was doing to make you shoot him down and why the hell you are all being so nice to me?" Jera looked at her with a furrowed brow obviously confused herself.

"What, you mean you don't know any of that? You were a prisoner of Tono right? Didn't her tell you what he was planning to do with you?"

"He told me he was planning to use me but that was it. I knew him under a different name of someone I thought was completely normal. To be honest so many things have happened in the past 48 hours I'm not even sure which way is up at this point." Jera rubbed her forehead with one hand and stood up looking at Sakura.

"Well I'm sure Jiro will help answer your questions but as to where you are, you're in Mito Village in Fire Country. We're not well known and for most we're off the map completely but we do exist." Sakura nodded as Jera left the room and the nurse returned with food.

A few hours later Sakura was dressed in her usual clothes and had all of her packs and pouches in their usual place on her person now feeling much stronger and comfortable knowing she was in Fire Country and she was alright.

She was told to make her way back to the temple with one of the men as her guide and soon entered back into the room where Jiro sat waiting for her. He smiled when she walked in and motioned for her to sit in front of him. She smiled and sat taking off the packs on her back and setting them next to her.

"I'm glad to see you are better. Now maybe we can figure out where you came from and what exactly happened to make you a prisoner of Tono." Sakura nodded. "First I should know your name."

Sakura wondered if she should give him her name for just a moment before deciding that it would be alright and she owed it to him for being so kind to her. "Sabaku no Sakura."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows and then laughed. "Well I think that answers my question as to why you looked familiar and also as to why you were taken by Tono." Sakura nodded.

"He planned to use me as a bargaining chip for something but I'm not exactly sure what. I'll start at the beginning if you'd like." Jiro nodded and she continued. "Well a village on the edge of Wind Country sent a plea of help for a diplomat and a medic to help them with an illness that had stricken a few ninja in the town. They were being attacked by Mist Ninja or what we believe now to be possibly Mist rogues that were working with Tono on a plan to lure me in and capture me. Other than that I don't know their motives at all." Jiro nodded.

"So you were captured and I assume the people with you found the base and went to take you back?" Sakura nodded again.

"Yes there were anbu with me and they went to retrieve me. Tono took me and fled and somehow I landed on that bird and was knocked unconscious. That's pretty much what landed me here." Jiro leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Well as to Tono's motives we've been tracking him for a while. He was planning an attack on some of the main ninja villages in order to take control. I believe he was after Suna in particular seeing how he was allied with the man who attacked you a while ago. We've been infiltrating and trying to stop him ever since we found out. See this Village is a refuge for ninja who are wanted by specific groups of rogues. We are basically a pit stop for ninja from all over Fire Country and Wind as well. We have ninja coming in from Suna, Konoha, and small underlying villages. They are those who are working on specific missions dealing with rogues. We help them and in return this village stays a secret. The only way you can become affiliated with us is if you have been sent here by one of the people who work for me and live here. Think of us as a safe-haven for those loyal to Suna and Konoha or simply to the Fire Country and Wind Country." Sakura looked bewildered and nodded to him. This man was helping them under the radar and seemed to expect nothing in return other than to be a secret from the villages.

"But why be a secret? Why not let us know so we can work together?" Jiro laughed and smiled at her.

"We wanted to do things our own way I suppose but we are relatively new. Only a few years old. We have yet to reach out to the villages for fear they would regard us as a hub for unlawful activity that could be deemed dangerous to the overall peace of both Fire and Wind." Sakura nodded and shook her head slightly with a small smile.

"Well I'll be sure to make connections for you in both Suna and Konoha if you wish or keep you under the radar if you wish that as well." Jiro looked at her for a moment and grinned.

"Maybe we can find an arrangement that suits us both."

END OF CHAPTER 65! REVIEW PLEASE AND I PROMISE ANOTHER CHAPTER SOON! Follow me on Tumblr and hound me if I don't review soon: saki-and-sasori


	61. Chapter 66

Saki- DID YOU SEE THAT DUDE'S HEAD? IT TOTALLY JUST EXPLODED!

Tobi- Saki-san it's scary!

Deidara- Turn it off, un!

Hidan- HELL NO! DUDE LOOK AT ALL THAT BLOOD!

Deidara &Tobi- No Lady! Don't open the door! (un)

Saki & Hidan- OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE DOOR!

{Due to the awesomeness that is horror movies the group is currently engaged but wants you all to know that Saki does not own any Naruto or any part of the franchise, thanks!}

Chapter 66

Sakura had left Jiro with a promise to work with them only if it was kept a secret from the rest of the Villages. It was settled that she would be brought safely to the Village she had been taken from and assisted by Jera and the two men with her to help keep her safe. Then would then leave and Sakura would go home with little incident. The only people she could tell about the village would be Neji, Shikamaru, and Gaara as Sakura had personally vouched for them to Jiro who had agreed to let her tell them. The Mito Village would remain a secret to everyone else and Sakura would work with them privately if needed in the future, setting up ways for them to help on missions without being detected and reported. She was to leave in a day when her strength returned.

A letter had already been sent by hawk to Neji explaining everything to him. Sakura now had time to regain her strength and relax in the small guest cottage they had provided her. She spent the night walking around the town with Jera talking to her and getting to know about her life.

At the ramen stand later that evening Jera told her about how she became affiliated with Moto Village.

"I used to be a ninja working with a small village doing odd jobs. I was more of a mercenary than anything and I didn't like the work I was doing. It seemed like I was hurting more people than I was helping by collecting debts owed to the leader of the village. Eventually I learned he was wasting the people's money on his own personal gains. I decided enough was enough and killed him in his sleep. I knew that it was wrong to kill him like that but it was for the right reasons. I then left the village with my two brothers whom you met earlier. We were all mercenaries for a while until we met someone who told us about Moto Village. He said it was a place where we could do good and help without having to start from the bottom and work our way up in a major village like Konoha. Don't get me wrong, my first thought was to go to Konoha and try to join into the ninja program. I just didn't like the idea of having to obtain all those ranks I never earned being a mercenary in that village. This way I'm working with Konoha and Suna and I don't have to worry about things like that. I'm helping people in my own way you know?" Sakura smiled and nodded to her completely understanding.

"I understand. It is definitely using good judgment to do what you feel is right. I wish I had a hundred more like you in Suna." Jera laughed and Sakura smiled.

"You know I might have to visit Suna soon. See you and the little one." She gestured to Sakura's stomach and smiled as Sakura rubbed her neck sheepishly.

"Definitely come and stop by anytime! You know I still have to tell my husband about the little one when I get back." Jera spit her drink all over the counter and looked at Sakura before laughing so loud people stared at her as Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You haven't told him yet?!" Sakura sighed and smiled sheepishly.

"Well telling the Kazekage you're pregnant right before you go on a mission is not something you want to do. He would have had the entire village in ruins before I even got out the door." Jera looked at her and chuckled a little more.

"Overprotective husband huh?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You have _no_ idea." She smiled and finished up her ramen paying for it before leaving with Jera who walked her to the cottage before saying goodnight to her and leaving. Sakura walked in to the cottage with a smile thinking how lucky she was to have been saved and by people who were so welcoming and kind.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two nights before back in Suna, Gaara stood pacing the floor for the second night in a row. The last update from Neji was only that the disease was taking longer to cure than they had expected but other than that things were fine.

Temari had smiled at this news and turned to her brother with an I-told-you-so expression. "See Gaara? Nothing's wrong it's all completely fine!" He nodded but did not stop his pacing as Temari merely shook her head and mumbled something about "Damn demon hormones making him become too worried and too possessive over her." Shikamaru had been sitting at the table in the kitchen observing this little exchange and had chuckled as his fiancée gave up trying to make Gaara see reason and retreated to the kitchen to wash dishes.

Though he didn't show it he was also worried about Sakura seeing as how everything he could discern from the mission briefing pointed towards it being some sort of a trap. Something seemed off to him about the way Neji had sent the report as well. It was short and not at all detailed like his usual reports from the field when things were calm. It seemed to him to be more like a report he would send if something had gone wrong and he was convinced he could handle the situation. If that was the case Sakura might be in potential danger. He saw a reason for Gaara to be worried and wondered if he had doubts about Neji's report as well.

Though he knew Gaara knew nothing of how much danger Sakura could really be in if it came to a fight, he wondered what exactly was going through the mind of the pacing Kazekage. If he knew what Sakura had been keeping a secret he wouldn't have sent her on the mission at all and probably would have her on some sort of constant watch by the anbu or one of his siblings.

As it was Shikamaru was left to worry and wonder about Neji's rather cryptic report leaving out key details about what exactly was going on with the disease and things such as that. With a sigh he stood from his place at the table catching the eye of Temari as well as Gaara. With a stretch he shoved his hands into his pockets as per the usual and leaned back slightly.

"I think I'll take a walk. Don't wait up for me I'm going to be a while." Temari gave him a confused look but as he glanced at her she knew not to press the matter further.

"Alright lazy ass go get some exercise." She smiled a little and turned back to her dish washing as Shikamaru smirked and shook his head.

"Troublesome woman." He smiled and walked out of the house waving over his shoulder slightly to a rather confused Gaara and an indifferent Temari. As soon as he was out of the house his composure changed as he quickly took to the rooftops heading towards the message tower of Suna to send a message to Neji regarding what was really going on in the tiny Village outside of Suna.

Gaara watched out of the window as he saw Shikamaru disappear over the rooftops as Gaara scowled slightly. Something was definitely off. He could tell by the way Shikamaru was acting as well as by the short message he had received earlier from Neji. Sakura promised to contact him when she arrived in the village so why was Neji the one sending the messages? Was she simply too busy or had something happened he was trying to cover up. With a furrowed brow he stalked past Temari and up the stairs to his bedroom not stopping until he stood on the balcony looking out over part of the city as a figure moved far away on the rooftops headed in the direction of the Suna message tower. Evidently Shikamaru had much more than a walk on his mind and Gaara needed to know what. With no more than a moment's hesitation he disappeared silently above the city riding on a cloud of whispering sand.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Neji was frantic now. It had been a day since he and his team of anbu had returned to the village with no further leads on Sakura's whereabouts. The only comfort brought to them was the miraculous recovery of all the patients Sakura had tried to treat. Five days had passed since they had left Suna for what was supposed to be only a diplomatic mission of sorts. On top of this Neji had received a message from Shikamaru asking him what was really going on seeing as his last message left a huge gaping hole in what exactly the problem was.

_"You gave no information on what is happening with the disease and how Sakura is faring. Something is up and if the Kazekage gets wind of it things will go downhill fast. Now send me a hawk and this time don't skimp on the details. If something went wrong I need to know what happened to the letter along with how Sakura is faring and where she is precisely at the moment you write the report. _

_This is of international importance and don't think for a moment I won't come out there and see what's going on myself. I trust you Neji. You've been someone I could trust for a long time. Don't give me a reason to doubt you now."_

Neji read the lines with a heavy weight on his mind. He could afford only to wait for another twenty four hours and only hope his anbu squads still out searching could find something pointing to where the pink haired Kaze-hime had disappeared to. As he stood to leave the place in which he was sitting he noticed a hawk landing on a nearby message stand with a letter tied to its foot.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura awoke the next morning already rejuvenated from the feeling of sleeping in a warm bed with the sweet smell of blossoms wafting in through the open window in the bedroom of the cottage. The whole scene before her was a myriad of light pastels and sweet fragrances that almost made her feel like she was home. With a sigh she sat up in the bed and swung her feet over the side knowing that she would be returning to the village that same day with the help of Jera and her brothers.

As she ate a breakfast of cereal she found in the kitchen she thought about Neji and what he must think about her kidnapping. She wondered with a sudden fear if he had told Gaara what had transpired in the past few days. She feared his wrath and hoped for the sake of Suna and the anbu's lives that Neji had been somewhat smart and withheld at least most of the information from the Kazekage.

Of course there was still Shikamaru who would have no doubt realized something had gone wrong if Neji had sent a report saying all was well without giving details about her location and health. She only hoped he had enough sense to deter Gaara's worry for at least as long as she was still missing from her original mission.

She hoped the hawk carrying news of her rescue had reached Neji in time for him to stop the truth from being sent to Suna.

After a few hours of rest she had joined with Jera, her brothers, and Jiro at the gates of the village ready to depart upon a great dog-like animal that would carry her much faster than any other means of transportation save for perhaps aerial transport. There were three more creatures like it nearby all ready to depart carrying Jera, her brothers, and Sakura. Jiro smiled at her as she was helped on to the back of one of the creatures with a smile.

"Thank you for agreeing to work with us Lady Sakura. We will honor your words well." Sakura looked upon Jiro with a grin and shook her head.

"Thank you for saving me. I am in your debt." Jiro smiled and patted her leg as Jera and the others mounted their creatures and turned to look at Sakura.

"May we depart? We should reach the village by sundown at the latest." Sakura nodded and the great beast upon which she sat took off in a run at a word from Jera leaving the waving figure of Jiro and Moto Village in the dust behind them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shikamaru sat on the steps of the message center two days after he had sent his message to Neji reading a very troubling yet at the same time relieving chain of messages sent by said anbu member in regards to what had happened with Sakura. He explained how they had been attacked and Sakura taken along with an included letter Neji said he had just received from an anonymous source regarding Sakura and her safe return to them. Sakura herself had written a note at the bottom of the letter reassuring Neji that she was safe and would be in the village in two days.

With a sigh of relief Shikamaru closed his eyes and leaned back on the steps. A sudden shadow darkened over him and the shadow nin opened his eyes to see a frowning Kazekage standing over him.

"Before you speak Shikamaru I know you and I both knew something was wrong with Neji's report. That being said tell me as clearly as possible what has happened and what message you sent Neji two days ago." Shikamaru looked up at the scowling red head and sighed deciding telling him now would be a hell of a lot better than telling him later. With a sigh he motioned for Gaara to sit and only after he had done so did he start explaining the entire story.

About halfway through Gaara was on his feet making his way down the stairs in a panicked fury, his chakra flaring dangerously as a predatory growl escaped his lips in hatred, anger, and worry for the fate of his wife in the hands of the defilers who dared to lay a finger on her. Behind him Shikamaru called out quickly risking life and limb as he grabbed on to Gaara's crimson coat and explaining hurriedly that Sakura was alright now.

"What?!" Gaara said suddenly his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment as he looked at the shadow nin's outstretched hand containing two letters that had obviously been opened and read by him already. With narrowed eyes he took the letters and began to read them his angry face softening as he read the words of not only Neji but Sakura herself saying she was indeed fine and would be back in the village in two days' time.

Shikamaru watched as he finished the letters and then turned towards him with a determined and rather terrifying look in his eyes. All at once Shikamaru felt an overwhelming chakra emanating from Gaara that the shadow nin didn't know the Kazekage possessed. When he opened his mouth, his voice had a gravely tone to it that sounded ancient, terrifying, and deep.

"I want someone to watch for her return and the moment she gets here take her to the hospital right away to be checked on. I don't care if she protests because I know she will. Make her go there and call me right away." With a slight blink Gaara looked at Shikamaru a little confused before turning and walking down the stairs in a flurry of crimson coat and sand.

Shikamaru's rational brain told him that the voice he heard and the extreme chakra he felt was not only that of Gaara but of the demon Shukaku who seemed to still reside inside of him even if it was only partially.

Gaara had taken to the sky once again using his sand to lift him and take him directly to the one place in Suna he could escape high above the people on the rooftop of the Kazekage building where he had spent many a sleepless night watching the moon. Though outwardly an angry and concerned expression lay on his face, inwardly he was waging a heated battle against Shukaku.

_"Dammit Shukaku what the hell was that!?" _The demon growled in return angry at his host for assaulting him.

_"Look punk your mate has been captured and taken by enemies and then inexplicably safely returned. Don't you think it'd be a good idea to have her looked at or do you want her to suffer?" _Gaara scowled further more pissed at Shukaku than he had been in a long time.

_"Of course I care about her! I was going to do it anyways I didn't need you swelling up and intimidating Shikamaru! I can take care of myself and Sakura without you intervening. I knew she was in trouble and it's what's been bothering me lately. Our bond was pulling me towards her constantly and I felt like I was actually physically gravitating towards her. You know how damn hard it was to stay here while I knew she was in trouble of some kind!?"_ Shukaku mumbled deep within Gaara's mind as Gaara jumped down onto the roof of the Kazekage building sitting down and frowning angrily.

_"Look kid all I'm gonna say is check her carefully." _Gaara sighed as he felt Shukaku recede until he could no longer sense him in the recesses of his mind. Shukaku's concern for Sakura shocked Gaara a little and he wondered if the demon had actually grown to care for her not just as a powerful woman but as someone who needed to be protected. He shook his head at this and sighed before looking out across the sand and windblown city that he called home.

_"Sakura get home soon or I'll come after you and bring you back."_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura's eyes had drooped as she had been lulled to sleep after hours of the steady motion of the creature running beneath her. She had fallen into a dreamless sleep and had only awoken when the movement of the creature beneath her stopped and she found herself opening her eyes as Jera gently shook her shoulder.

"Lady Sakura wake up we're near the village. It is right beyond those trees." Sakura looked at Jera and her brothers who were already on the ground. She nodded and slid off the creature she was sitting on as it disappeared into a puff of smoke. Jera smiled at Sakura as she dusted herself off a little and adjusted her packs.

"Well I guess this is it then you guys will leave right after this correct?" Jera nodded and Sakura looked at her with compassion in her emerald eyes. "I wish you all the best of happiness in life and please, do visit me some time." Jera grinned and gave Sakura a small hug before putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her in the eyes once more.

"It's a promise Sakura. Now come on let's get you back to the village."

The group walked through the remaining trees until coming upon the village where anbu stood watching for her. As soon as one saw her he called out before rushing over until he was directly in front of her.

"Lady Sakura! Are you injured?!" Sakura shook her head as more anbu came running with a disheveled looking Neji in their midst. As soon as he saw Sakura his usually blank face seemed to relax as he arrived in front of her and looked at Jera and her brothers before bowing in front of Sakura.

She blinked at him surprised as the rest of the anbu did the same.

"Forgive me Lady Sakura. We did not do our jobs and you were allowed to be captured and put in a position where you could have been killed. Our actions are inexcusable." The anbu continued to stay bowing as Sakura rolled her eyes and hit Neji over the head lightly causing all of the anbu to look up at her.

"Hey stop it. I'm back now and I'm alright so stop groveling and get ready to take me home." Neji straightened upright and nodded turning to Jera and her brothers who were all smirking.

"Thank you for doing what we could not and returning the Kaze-hime." Jera nodded and looked over at Sakura with a smile before turning back to Neji.

"We only did the duty we were given. Permit us to leave un-followed as we wish to remain a secret." Neji nodded as Jera gave Sakura one last glance before taking off back into the trees not followed by a single anbu.

After a few hours of checking over the village and finishing explaining and talking with the leaders about how they were pressured into doing this Sakura was ready to leave at a moment's notice. She was tired, irritated, and not completely healed of her lack of chakra and overall weakness. Neji had noticed her seeming much more tired than usual and had kept a closer eye on her as she finished her duties within the village.

They spent the night in the village in order for Sakura to rest up for the long journey back to Suna as they would be traveling a little slower to accommodate her. She had insisted she was fine but Neji would hear nothing of it and had essentially tuned her out as she protested. Deciding it was probably the best use of judgment to just go along with him at this point, she reluctantly agreed and turned in for the night.

In her room she let herself take a long shower before climbing into bed with a large yawn and a single hand on her belly hoping that her baby was doing better now that she was regaining chakra and strength. As she leaned over and turned the light off plunging the room into darkness, she stopped and sighed as her eyes tried to adjust to the pitch blackness of the room. Nervousness crept into her mind as she thought immediately of her homecoming the next day and telling Gaara about the child she was now carrying.

_"Kami how am I going to tell him?"_ She thought as she rolled over in the bed stroking her slightly pudgy stomach with one hand.

_"Tell it to him gently and maybe insinuate it a little. Don't just scare him to death by saying. 'Hey I'm pregnant.' I don't think it'd go over well." _Sakura rolled her eyes at Inner's input as she grumbled slightly and closed her eyes tuning Inner out in order to sleep peacefully without an annoying commentator.

The morning came with a knock on her door and Neji's voice saying they were leaving in twenty minutes. Sakura sighed and sat up stretching out and wincing as the bruises she still retained were stretched against her muscles and ached slightly. With a sigh she stood and began to put on her usual attire before trudging into the bathroom and brushing out her tangled pink locks. After deeming them acceptable she tied her hetai-ate in her hair and strapped her packs on to her body. With a final glance about the room she turned the cool metal knob on the door and stepped out of her room where she was immediately flanked by two anbu.

"Certainly taking precautions huh?" She mused quietly. One anbu member looked her way from behind his mask and Sakura glanced over at him as he whispered to her.

"Sorry Lady Sakura it's Leader's orders." Sakura nodded as they entered the tiny lobby of the motel where Neji and the other anbu stood waiting. As soon as he saw her, Neji turned and began walking out the door. Sakura rolled her eyes and followed as the entire group walked right out of village with the bewildered eyes of the few locals who were up following them until they reached the very edge. With a single glance back Neji nodded and the group took off running with Sakura in the middle of the entire group traveling at a slightly slower pace than what the anbu usually mustered.

Hours stretched on forever in Sakura's mind as she panted and sweated under the hot sun as finally they came to a stop for a lunch break. Sakura felt slightly hurried as she ate though Neji encouraged her to eat more than usual to keep her strength up.

With a slight eye narrow directed to his general vicinity, Sakura complied and ate more food than the rest of the group before being ushered up to start running again.

A few hours more and the familiar high rock formations of Suna were coming into view on the horizon and with a smile and a sigh Sakura knew she was almost home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gaara had only gone home to sleep before returning to his office in the Kazekage building the next morning without so much as a "Good morning," to his siblings or Shikamaru. Immediately trying to keep his anxious mind off of Sakura's wellbeing, he dove in to the mound of paperwork on his desk.

An hour or so of reading and signing papers later, a small timid knock came on his door. With a sigh he called the person in rubbing his eyes with two fingers tiredly. A feminine voice broke his thoughts as Matsuri told him that there was one more paper to sign that had just been brought in.

Gaara nodded and took the paper from her as Matsuri left the depressed looking Kazekage alone in his darkened office.

He read the paper languidly and thought through it analytically before signing it and setting it in the pile of things he had approved. The paper was a simple request for an expansion of a hotel in the lower part of Suna near the gates. Gaara had known about the planned expansion for a while so it was not a surprise to him and he didn't really need to think on it very much in order to sign it through. With a small stretch of his arms Gaara went back to signing papers trying his best to keep his mind bored and focused on the task at hand and not on Sakura.

As the clock in his office chimed that it was now officially two in the afternoon, Gaara sighed and leaned back in his chair looking over the mass of papers he had read and signed. The week of piled up paperwork was now complete and with a silent movement he had stood and walked to the door telling Matsuri he had finished them all and they were ready to be taken away.

She looked incredibly surprised but nodded, going in to his office and taking away the papers as Gaara sat with his back to her looking out the window that showed him the city all the way to the huge gates of Suna. With nothing left to do but wonder about Sakura, Gaara let himself stand and leave the office walking past Matsuri and out the doors into the blinding sunlight that usually greeted him with such a happy feeling knowing that his wife was only a few minutes away working at the hospital or at home with his siblings.

Today, however there was no comfort in the sun as Sakura was not in Suna. Gaara turned and jumped onto the roof of the Kazekage building making the guards that stood watch nearby shake their heads and continue their watch with one mumbling. "He's sure been on edge lately."

Taking a seat on the hot surface of the Kazekage building, Gaara looked out over the city and watched the people below as he saw children running to and fro and people glancing at them with amused faces as they talked amongst themselves. Suna was such a peaceful city now that he was in charge and had been that way for a long time. He was proud that the people within his city were so open to him now and had come out of their toughened shells ever since they had seen him save them all from the Akatsuki members who had taken him and killed him.

The people had changed once again when Sakura became their Kaze-hime as they all loved her easygoing ways and how she was never aloof or impolite to them. Like the people in Konoha, they all had grown to love their pink haired medic.

Small cries came from below him and immediately Gaara looked down to see a little boy fall and get laughed at by the others playing with him as they all ran away, still laughing, leaving the smaller boy behind in the sand he had fallen on. With a slight scowl Gaara jumped down from the roof and cushioned his fall using his sand until he stood right in front of the boy who was picking himself up out of the sand with a small sniff.

"Are you alright?" Gaara inquired as he extended his hand out to the small boy who was now looking up at him with tear filled brown eyes. He took Gaara's hand and stood wiping his eyes on his sleeve and looking down at his feet. Gaara crouched down in front of him looking at the boy's face as he raised his head to look at his Kazekage with a slight confusion in his features. "Are you hurt?" He asked calmly as the boy shook his head.

"No Kazekage-sama." Gaara gave him a small smile that he had seen Sakura use around small children to comfort them. It seemed to work as the boy looked fully at the redhead before him, a little more comfortable now.

"Were those other children your friends?" The boy shook his head.

"No they are my older sister's friends. They never let me play with them so when they said I could join in tag today I was really happy. But they tricked me because when it was my turn to be it they pushed me down and ran off laughing." Gaara frowned a little and looked over his shoulder towards the direction where the kids had gone.

"Well it's alright we'll go talk to them and I'll ask you parents if they will let you do something very special. How would you like to see all of Suna from the top of the Kazekage building?" The little boy's face lit up in a bewildered smile as he nodded happily and grinned.

"I'd love to Kazekage-sama! My mother is at the store nearby I'll take you to her." Gaara stood up and shook his head.

"I want to go have a talk with those kids who tricked you first." The little boy nodded as Gaara looked down at him.

"Do you know where they were going?" He nodded and pointed down the road.

"They always go to the sweet shop after school I think they were going there when we were playing tag." With a nod Gaara followed the boy through the streets as they rounded the corner to the sweet shop where the group of kids sat eating lollipops and laughing. Gaara approached them with the smaller boy behind him as the children all stopped laughing as one of the girls pointed him out.

"Kazekage-sama." They said in unison as Gaara scowled down at them making them all cower slightly.

"Did you trick this boy when you were playing tag?" He asked as the little boy peaked out from behind him.

One of the girls in the group scowled angrily at the little boy and stood grabbing his arm as the little boy protested.

"Hika why did you bother Kazekage-sama when you fell in the sand?! He's too busy with important things to worry about a little wimp who fell and scraped his knee." Gaara put a hand on the girl's shoulder and she looked up at him with a straight face. "I'm sorry my little pest of a brother annoyed you Kazekage-sama." Gaara scowled down at her making her cower slightly and let go of Hika's arm.

"Sit." He said simply and the girl complied quietly sitting back down with her friends. Gaara looked at them all with disapproval and a slight shake of his head. "You tricked Hika into playing with you and then you left him in the sand after you pushed him down. I do not appreciate such behavior from the people who live in Suna. This is not how you should treat your younger brother or anyone for that matter. Apologize to Hika, all of you or I will tell your parents how disrespectful you were to him."

The children all looked terrified as they nodded and apologized to Hika who was looking at Gaara in pure admiration.

"You, Hika's sister. You will come with me to go find your mother so I can tell her what you did to him. I do not appreciate siblings hurting each other and it is no way to act." The girl hung her head and nodded, obviously embarrassed as passersby were watching the scene in awe at their Kazekage's concern for his people. She stood and followed Gaara and Hika and they walked to the store where Hika said his mother was shopping.

As they walked inside Hika's mother spotted the Kazekage with her children and stood rather bewildered and concerned as he approached.

"I'm sorry to be bothering you with this but your daughter and her friends had been bullying Hika and left him in the dirt after they had pushed him down. I have already spoken with your daughter and her friends but I felt that I should tell you as well." Hika's mother looked shocked and then angry as she turned to her daughter and pulled her over to her side.

"Thank you Kazekage-sama. I had no idea she and her friends were bullying Hika. I will have a talk with her later." Gaara nodded and then looked down at Hika who was smiling up at him.

"I also wanted to ask if I could take Hika to the Kazekage building to see all of Suna from a different view." Hika's mother once again looked bewildered but smiled and nodded.

"Oh yes of course Kazekage-sama thank you very much I'm sure Hika will love it!" Gaara smiled and nodded before leaving the store with Hika who was grinning from ear to ear as they traveled up the road to the Kazekage building before stopping outside.

"Hold on tight to me for a moment we're going up to the roof." Hika nodded and gripped Gaara's leg tightly as Gaara's sand lifted them up to the roof of the building as Hika's tiny eyes looked on in wonder.

"Wow!" He said happily as he looked over the city in amazement seeing it from a way he had never seen before.

A few minutes passed before Gaara decided to take Hika back down to the ground so he could return to his mother. Once there Hika surprised Gaara with a huge hug and a toothy grin.

"Thank you so much Kazekage-sama! I can't wait to tell my friends all about this!" Gaara smiled as Hika ran off waving at him and grinning from ear to ear. With a smile now on his face Gaara thought about Sakura and wondered if this is what she felt like when she worked with children, now seeing why she said she loved it so much. As he turned to walk down to his house to see his siblings and wait for Sakura's return, he heard a voice calling after him and footsteps running towards him.

"Kazekage-sama! The Kaze-hime's group has just been spotted outside of Suna! They're almost here!" With wide eyes Gaara wasted no time in jumping on top of the rooftops and running full force towards the gates of Suna. Sakura was home. She was alright and she was almost home.

END OF CHAPTER 66! REVIEW PLEASE AND** SEND IN ARTWORK FOR THIS STORY'S COVER PLEASE!**


	62. Chapter 67

Saki- Deidara why are you covered in flour?

Deidara- Uh I was, uh baking something, un.

Saki- Oh Kami please tell me the kitchen is still intact!

Deidara- It is too intact, yeah.

Kisame- Hey Deidara do we have any more sug- Oh hey Saki!

Saki- I don't want to know. I'm not going to ask because I don't want to know. I own no Naruto or Naruto products.

Chapter 67

A weary Kunoichi looked up at the towering rocks that meant that she was indeed a few moments away from being home. She was completely drained and exhausted, her steps fumbling slightly as her body was still struggling to regain the last bit of her precious depleted chakra and whatever strength she had left. They were nearing the towering gates of Suna and already Sakura had seen a guard running to no doubt tell Gaara that she was returning.

Her feet felt like tons of lead and she dragged herself a little further as her heart raced at the prospect of seeing Gaara and finding a way to tell him about their baby. Neji noticed her faltering steps and swiftly, but rather sternly put an arm around her to steady her as she walked leaning on him a little for support. The other anbu paid them no attention as the party approached the huge gates swinging open to reveal the way in to Suna along with the guard station where three guards stood awaiting their return. Sakura looked into the city of Suna itself and saw a figure with red hair and a crimson coat sprinting towards them at top speed followed by two more guards both struggling to keep up.

"Gaara!" Sakura called out happily as she detached herself from Neji who steadied her once more as her legs faltered when she moved to run towards him, her weary body not accustomed to the sudden movement. He was almost to her when Neji let go of her as Gaara scooped her into his arms holding her close and breathing in the sweet smell of her hair as he held her tightly against him.

"Sakura, are you alright?" He pulled back, worry in his eyes as she smiled and clung to him once more leaning on him heavily as Gaara held her and looked at Neji who was standing directly behind her.

"She is severely fatigued but I haven't noticed any signs of any illness or injuries other than the superficial bruises and a small cut on her arm." Gaara nodded as Sakura looked up at him and kissed his cheek holding him close as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"I'm taking her to the hospital for a checkup just in case. Thank you for returning her safely Neji." He nodded and walked stiffly away leaving the other anbu to watch their Kazekage pick their Kaze-hime up into his arms and walk off with Sakura protesting mildly until he gave her a stern look. All of the anbu were more comfortable with this exchange than most would have thought. They had gone from having a Kazekage who was seldom seen and rarely out and about to one who would pick his wife up and carry her to the hospital after a mission just to be sure she was safe.

"It's true what they say about love changing people. I sure hope that can happen to me some day." One anbu member commented with a chuckle. The other anbu nodded as they went to check in to their posts and relax a little.

Sakura lay down in a hospital gown rolling her eyes at her red headed husband who was leaning against the wall near her bed. She had already had the nurse take her blood, do a full checkup, and a chakra scan during which Sakura glared at her as she reached her stomach silently telling her if she breathed a word of her baby she would decapitate her. "Is this really necessary I'm only fatigued because I was forced to run all day after having all of my chakra drained." Gaara gave her a look that closed off all room for complaint as Sakura sighed loudly.

Eventually the nurse came back in telling her she was all clear to go and to be sure to rest up as when her chakra had been restricted it had done a little bit of damage to her chakra flow that wouldn't heal for at least a few more days. Sakura looked over at Gaara with a raised eyebrow and a smug grin as he nodded to the nurse and leaned over to kiss his wife on the forehead.

"Alright fine you were right little medic, I just had to be sure." Sakura grinned and slid on her clothes before standing up and leaning on Gaara as they walked out of the hospital into the Suna heat that Sakura had definitely not missed. Somehow even in the small village still within the desert's reach it was shadier and cooler.

Gaara walked slowly with Sakura seeing her looking at everything they passed and smiling as some small children ran past them giggling. He noticed she looked like she was daydreaming for a moment as a small smile crept on her face and stayed there until they got home. He looked at her quizzically as she turned to him and raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"You seemed like you were thinking about something. Do you want to talk about it?" She smiled a little more and looked down for a moment before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"I'll tell you later tonight ok?" He nodded seeming a little confused as he opened the door to their house just in time for Temari to come sprinting around the corner to grab Sakura in a hug so tight she tapped Temari's shoulder just to get air.

"Sakura! Oh my gosh Shikamaru told me what happened! Are you alright?" She patted Sakura's side as if checking for any signs of injury to which Sakura merely laughed.

"I'm fine." She looked up to see a rather relived looking Shikamaru standing behind Temari with a small smile. Sakura walked over calmly and hugged him tight as he whispered quietly,

"Glad you both are ok." Sakura pulled back and looked at the shadow nin with a grateful smile. Kankuro had walked in rather casual trying to seem aloof or something of the nature but as he hugged Sakura in his usual bear hug style she felt his hands grip her shirt a little telling her he was worried as well.

"Well if the family reunion is over, I've made dinner for us all!" Temari beamed as Sakura looked worriedly at Gaara who merely smiled and leaned down close to her ear as they walked in to the kitchen.

"Her cooking is fine but stay away from the sauce she makes it'll burn your tongue off." Sakura grinned and walked in to the dining room taking her place at the table next to Gaara as Temari walked in holding a large platter laden high with teriyaki meat and vegetables that surprised even Sakura.

The tray was set down and after a chorus of "Itadakimasu" they all dug in placing meat and vegetables on their plates and beginning to eat. The meal was silent at first with only the sound of chewing and chopsticks picking up food until Shikamaru's voice broke the stillness.

"It's nice to have you back Sakura. The hospital has been doing great since you left but I'm sure the poor staff will be happy to know you are back to help them out."

Sakura smiled as Kankuro let out a small chuckle. "Yeah that and the little kids from the Academy. They keep asking if Lady Sakura will come and play with them again." Gaara raised an eyebrow at Sakura as all eyes looked to her for an explanation. She merely blushed and grinned.

"I stopped by the Academy once on my way home and played a game of bases with them once. Their Sensei was asleep and I had time to kill." The others all laughed as Gaara smiled at his wife.

"Well the children seem to adore you now. You do have a way with them I have noticed." Sakura nodded and looked down a little with a small smile as Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her from across the table. She looked up to see him doing so and rolled her eyes slightly as if to say she was working on telling Gaara. Shikamaru shook his head and smiled reaching for the bowl of rice Temari had passed to him.

Dinner progressed rather languidly with Sakura recounting her capture and relaying the entire story to them, leaving out the name of the village that helped her of course, along with its location. She merely described it as a village with a few ninja that helped her recover. Temari stated that she was glad that they were loyal to Konoha as if they were rogues they might not have been so merciful or helpful. Gaara agreed as the dinner wound down to an end as Sakura finished her story.

"For someone that went through all of that you remained pretty unscathed." Temari stated simply. Sakura nodded and glanced at Shikamaru, silently letting him know by her expression that she needed to talk to him. With a small clearing of his throat Shikamaru stretched and stood up from his place at the table.

"I'll take the dishes into the kitchen. Kankuro I think it's your turn to wash them." Kankuro groaned and then mumbled something about unfair chore duty before helping Shikamaru carry the plates to the kitchen sink. Sakura helped as well, though Temari protested that it was not needed, and then walked to the living room with Shikamaru as in the kitchen Kankuro could be heard being reprimanded by Gaara's cool tone of voice explaining that he was washing the dishes wrong.

Shikamaru sat on the couch and turned on the television as Sakura took a spot next to him and focused on the television as well. "You haven't told him yet." He whispered. Sakura sighed and nodded.

"I haven't had the chance. What do I even say Shika?" Shikamaru ran a hand across his hair and sighed, muttering something about it being "Troublesome." Sakura smiled thinking how much things hadn't changed as Shikamaru managed a small smile as well.

"Well to be honest telling it to him while you're alone would be best. No sense in having Temari and Kankuro there to make things seem worse than they are. You know how much Temari would over-react to it, troublesome woman." Sakura laughed as she looked up to see Gaara walking in the room.

"Glad to see you are happy now Sakura." She looked up at her husband with a grin as Shikamaru smiled slightly next to her.

"Well I'm home so why wouldn't I be happy?" The redheaded Kazekage smiled as Sakura stood up and grabbed on to his arm. "Gaara, can we go for a walk? I feel like I need to get some fresh air." Gaara nodded as Sakura smiled and told him to wait a moment while she grabbed something. With a nod Gaara walked towards the door as Sakura slipped into her office opening the top drawer and pulling out the picture she had put there a while before. She then returned to Gaara with a smile kissing his cheek and taking his arm as they stepped outside into the dry Suna heat.

The sun was low in the sky, but the sand beneath them as they walked through the cobbled streets still held much of the day's heat and radiated it off onto those who stepped upon it. Sakura could feel the warmth as she walked, leaning on her taller husband who had a peaceful, almost serene look on his face that Sakura wished she could copy. Her own face must have looked somewhat calm but in reality she felt quite the opposite. Her mind was in a frenzy of how to tell him about the baby while still being able to remain working and protecting Suna as she had been. It would take every ounce of persuasive skill she had to keep her red-headed Kazekage from flying off the handle.

Gaara noticed Sakura's uneasiness and sighed slightly. "What is it Sakura?"

Sakura looked up at him as her mind worked frantically only managing a weak smile on her face. "Nothing I just, wanted to go somewhere quiet to talk for a while. I haven't seen you in a week." Gaara smiled and kissed her hair as he pulled her to his side and held on to her.

"Do you want to go to the cliff again? I have the blankets stored up there still." Sakura smiled and nodded remembering the beauty of the little outcropping Gaara had shown her the night before she left for the mission. With a smile she felt his sand lift them into the air and transport them across the city to where the passage to the outcropping lay hidden.

Once there Gaara spread out the blankets upon which Sakura sat and looked out at the sunset over the city for a moment as her husband studied her rather than the landscape in front of him.

Her hair was short as usual, and hung in soft pink locks about her head kissing the tender pale skin of her neck. His eyes traveled down this expanse to the place where a small red kanji lay at the juncture of her neck meeting her creamy white shoulder. His eyes traced down both of her arms seeing a few bruises marring the pale surface of her skin as they supported her in her reclined position. He reached out a hand and laid it upon her arm gently stroking a bruise as Sakura turned to look at him with a small smile gracing her pale, pink lips. Her jade eyes looked to be one solid color but in the close contact and the evening lighting Gaara could see they were actually flecked with deeper spots of emerald. Her nose was a gentle slope on her face, not marred by any imperfections from the top of her brow to the base of her chin, she was perfect. With a sudden movement Gaara leaned forwards and captured her lips in his gently and carefully not wanting to bruise his perfect blossom.

"Gaara." She mumbled against his lips as he pulled back and smiled at her slightly.

"Sorry, you just looked so perfect I had to kiss you." Sakura rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck as he lay back on the blanket and she lay on his chest for a moment as her nerves danced around in her and she inwardly was panicking. Now was the time to say something. Now, when they were so relaxed, now was the time to tell him about the little spark of life inside her.

"Gaara, do you like children?" She wavered slightly in her words as Gaara merely stroked her hair calmly. He chuckled a little and then sighed slightly.

"Yes I suppose I do. They are the future you know. They are the future ninja who will be serving Suna and protecting it and creating new ninja to continue that legacy. I do like their innocence as well. They always seem to be ignorant of all of the words evil for the most part. So yes, I do like children." He thought his wife's question a little out of sorts but regarded it as a sequence to another question she would ask. He waited for her to say something and eventually she did.

"I like their laughter as well. I remember being a child in Konoha. I always used to laugh with my friends, my real friends outside of my school classes. Shikamaru and Ino and Choji when I was little, and then Naruto and the others when I grew older. I know it was very different from you and I wish I could give you a childhood you deserved. But maybe I can help with that in a way." Gaara looked at her with a quizzical expression which she disregarded due to the fluttering of her heart in her chest.

"In what way?" She sighed and leaned back on his chest for a moment before speaking again.

"Gaara, I wanted to ask you, or I guess tell you, something the night before I left for the mission but I didn't quite get the chance." There was a pause before Gaara's voice broke the stillness.

"Hmm? What was it then?" Slowly, Sakura pulled back and looked at him, her heart beating fast in her chest as her lips fumbled to form words.

"Do you want to- I mean would you- what would you say if- oh gosh I'm muddling this up." The ever strong and direct kunoichi Gaara knew had her face hidden in her hands as she blushed profusely and Gaara looked at her utterly bewildered and now sitting up himself pulling her hands away from her face and trying to make eye contact with his flustered wife.

"Sakura, what is it? You can tell me I won't be angry or react badly to whatever it is. I promise I will be calm. Are you trying to ask to become a Sensei? You are needed at the hospital but on the side if you wanted to be with the children occasionally teaching them medics I cou-" Sakura cut him off with a finger to his lips as she shook her head.

"Gaara what would you do if I said I wanted a child?" Gaara stared at her with his black rimmed eyes and blinked slowly for a moment taking in what his wife had just asked before responding with a smile on his face.

"Sakura, do you want a child?" Gently he reached up and stroked her cheek as Sakura looked into his eyes.

"Well, yes. But Gaara what if…what if I said I already was expecting one?" She watched his expression stay the same as the hand caressing her cheek stopped, her eyes frantically watching his as he finally uttered one word in his trance-like state.

"What?" Sakura seemed to move in fast motion as she reached in her pocket and pulled out the slightly bent ultrasound picture showing the tiny baby inside of her, holding it up and smiling slightly.

"I'm pregnant Gaara." Inside Gaara's mind was a mess of emotions, none of which were registering on the stunned Kazekage's face until the word pregnant fell out of the pinkette's mouth in front of him.

"You're pregnant? You're having a baby? I'm going to be a father?!" Sakura shrunk back a little lowering the ultrasound picture, worry on her face in the split second before Gaara kissed her and wrapped his arms around her before he pulled back and grinned. "We're having a baby. You really are?! How far are you, I mean, when did you find out? You should have told me before you left on the mission!" There it was. Sakura froze in slight anticipation as the reality began to sink in to the elated face of the Kazekage before her as it turned to something of a much more angry nature that Sakura intended to nip in the bud.

"Gaara! I was careful! I knew you wouldn't have let me go and I needed to go to help those people! The baby is fine! I already checked! It's fine and Gaara, Gaara look at me, we're ok and I won't go on any more missions I promise." The red head's face softened a little at the sight of his wife trying so hard to calm his anger. Realizing, with the help of Shukaku's growl of "_girl's got a point." _And _"she says the pup's fine." _He sighed and resigned to pulling her close and hugging her for a moment.

"Sakura. You should have told me but I understand why you didn't. How long have you known anyways?" He asked, pulling back and looking at his wife who was smiling sheepishly.

"Since the last time we were in Konoha. Shikamaru's mother knows and Shika found out as well." Gaara looked at her and chuckled a little as Sakura held out the picture she still held in her hand. He took it gently and looked at it for a moment his eyes soon realizing that what he was looking at, the tiny little blob-like thing, was their baby. Sakura watched as his eyes softened and he set the picture aside turning to look up at her face before laying two hands gently on her stomach and leaning down to kiss the pudgy flesh that lay there, still mostly flat and barely even beginning to bulge.

"You're ok with this then?" Gaara stopped kissing her stomach and looked up at her with his dark rimmed eyes still as an alarming shade of turquoise as ever. He leaned forwards towards her and kissed the mark on her neck slowly and softly. The touch made Sakura squirm slightly as her husband then moved to kiss her mouth lightly before pulling back and taking her face into his strong hands.

"You are my wife, the Kaze-hime of Suna. You live in my house and sleep in my bed. We've been through a lot together and to be completely honest we've been through more than what most couples go through in their entire life times. I tried to kill you once, before I knew you, yet you survived. I died and despite this you fought to save my body, if nothing else, killing the Akatsuki who captured me. You've stood up to the demon raccoon inside of me and lived to tell the tale. Not to mention you've been beat up, tortured, pushed to the very limit within your own life aside from the one we now share, and still manage to be a happy person. You're the strongest woman I know and are also the most beautiful. We've been through hell and high water and though I am terrified about being a father I think if we can handle all that we've been through in our lives, be it Akatsuki or facing death, then we can handle the child we will have together. Suna just had better prepare itself for our new family if we are any indication to what the child will be like." Sakura looked at Gaara for a moment with tears brimming in her eyes as he suddenly pulled her close and held her in his lap stroking her back calmly and kissing her neck with soft, feather light kisses.

"Gaara, should we tell the others today?" She murmured, after a quiet moment of his caresses. With a small chuckle she heard him sigh.

"Well I suppose we must. Though I do not look forward to my sister's response. You have noticed her going over the top on some things correct?" Sakura laughed and nodded.

"She is worse than Ino sometimes! That's saying a lot!" Gaara chuckled and lifted her into his arms as he stood.

"Would you like to take another walk before heading home? I have an old friend I'd like to visit." Sakura looked at him for a moment before nodding. She had a feeling she knew who this "old friend" was and she wanted to talk to one of her own.

With little effort they soon reached the streets of Suna where Gaara set Sakura gently on her feet before taking her small hand into his own large one. The nighttime atmosphere was settling down on Suna once again as the streetlights came on and the sunset began to darken. The voices of the people coming out to enjoy the coolness the night brought filled the streets as the Kazekage couple walked hand in hand through the village. Looming over head lay the tall wind worn sand structures of Suna that so characterized the city. Sakura loved to look at them purely for the architecture that was so different from any other village you could visit.

As they walked on to a busier street, people began to take notice of the couple that were the leaders they so admired. Bows and smiles were directed at them as older folks sitting in chairs watched them pass with proud looks on their wrinkled faces while children stopped and stared, smiling in wonder as the people they knew were famous gave them smiles of their own.

Sakura watched the children with an elated feeling in her chest similar to the feeling of the incurable happiness she found when she was with Gaara. Gaara as well felt a sense of pride seeing his people smiling at his wife as she, in her usual way, smiled and greeted them with a great ease acquired from years of working as a medical ninja along with her own personal charm.

The people smiled upon the couple and talked about them in fondness as they passed. Exclaiming on how they both were so perfect for each other and how much their Kazekage had changed due to his wife. Some mothers holding children close to them smiled at their Kaze-hime as she waved to them and then leaned on her husband as they turned on to a less crowded street and away from the view of Suna's captivated citizens.

Sakura walked in step with Gaara as he paused for a moment long enough to kiss her forehead before continuing to walk with her arm now looped in his.

After a while of walking they came upon the sandstone wall that sheltered the ground littered with pale gray stones standing erect and silent in the dimly lit evening. Sakura knew it well, not from frequenting the spot, but from the painful memories it had ingrained upon her mind. With a small look shared between Sakura and Gaara the pair walked in to the silent graveyard. The footsteps Sakura took with her arm still linked in her husband's felt surreal. She had been here with him before but it was a long ago memory of someone who was beaten and full of sadness. He had not stood at her side but had watched her from a distance seeing her shoulders shake slightly as only he glanced back to look at her standing over a newly placed stone. She had turned and wiped the tears from her face quickly only glancing at him. The arm linked in his was not hers but instead belonged to his siblings. He was not the firm rock supporting her but was the one being supported by others.

Gaara gave his wife a sideways glance as he felt her grip on his arm tighten slightly. She looked at him as they approached Chiyo-baasama's grave. He knew she was thinking of Chiyo-baasama's funeral. He knew he was remembering it. He always did when he visited here. With a small smile he motioned for her to go to the grave and she nodded smiling at him as she walked towards the silent stone. He himself watched her for a moment before moving once more through the stillness in the graveyard.

His steps were determined as he passed stones and monuments carved with names of those who gave their lives for Suna or simply ended their days in this city. As he passed a tall monument he felt a sudden remembrance for the man who had practically raised him for a time. The funeral for his Uncle came up in his mind though it was clouded in a fuzzy memory of a time when he had chosen hate and isolation because of the cruelty of others. He would have remembered the funeral for his mother as well but he was only a few hours old when it had taken place. His father's funeral was fresher in his mind though it did not bring back any wistful memories. The man who had given him life was the same who had driven him to madness and hatred. Though deep inside he felt a pity for him and his terrible ways.

The tall stone that stood against a tall rock formation in the back of the graveyard was the burial site for his Mother, Uncle, and Father. The three large slabs of stone arranged in a circle around the monument held below them the remains of Gaara's parental figures, be them his real parents or the adopted parent he found in his Uncle. With a graceful movement he positioned himself in front of the memorial stone and bowed a low bow to the ground touching his forehead to the sand before raising it and standing to look at the stone slab.

"Uncle, I wanted to thank you. You were like a father to me though I know you disliked me at first for fear of the beast within me and a resentment you held towards me for my being born. But Uncle, you were the first to see what others did not see until recently. You saw the person in me and who I could become. I think you would be proud to know I am now the leader Suna needed and that I have done right by marrying a beautiful and powerful kunoichi. She saw me as a person as well. It struck me that she was a lot like you. She sees people as people, not as what they hold inside them be it a monster or a curse. You were like that as well. I remember." He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Mother, you would have loved Sakura. She is headstrong and powerful but she knows how to step back and remember the past while still moving on. She learns from things in her past but does not dwell on them. Those who knew you tell me you always remembered your past as well but did not dwell on it. They say you possessed a sense of calm and peace that is hard to find. I think you would be proud to know that the Kaze-hime of Suna is once again a woman with a good head on her shoulders. I somehow feel that you are still protecting me and I only wish you could be here to see your grandchild. I have a feeling you are watching and I only hope you will protect my child like you have often protected me." Gaara turned to leave slowly but stopped closing his eyes for a moment before sighing.

"Father I have little to say to you. Other than that I will be a father to my child despite the absence of ever knowing my true father myself. I know that somewhere deep inside you there must have been a hint of compassion for me and my siblings. Maybe you can see me and my family and maybe you will still be able to watch as I am a father to my child, the type of father I always secretly wanted." With this Gaara unclenched his jaw and walked away to where he could see the pale silhouette of his wife amongst the graves.

"Gaara did you see your old friend?" Sakura asked as he approached helping her up from her kneeling position in front of Chiyo-baasama's grave. He nodded and turned to smile upon the carved words on the stone marking the resting place of the woman who brought him back to life.

"I wanted to pay my respects to Chiyo-baasama as well." Sakura nodded as Gaara laid his hand upon the stone and bowed low. "Thank you for giving me the chance to have a family. Without you I would not be here. I owe you everything." Sakura smiled tearing up slightly before reaching out to take Gaara's hand. He turned to smile at her pulling her close before wrapping an arm around her body and steering them both to the entrance of the graveyard.

END OF CHAPTER 67! REVIEWS! I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THEM SO YOU ALL HAD BEST REVIEW THIS! 3


	63. Chapter 68

Saki- Tobi why am I not allowed to go inside?

Tobi- Deidara says to take you to a spa today.

Saki- A spa? I'm all for that but why today?

Tobi- It's a good spa day!

Saki- Something is going on…alright Tobi let's go to the spa. I own no Naruto or Naruto products.

This Chapter dedicated to rainingplatinum445. Thank you for your thoughtful and wonderful review!

Chapter 68

Gaara pulled open the door to their house stepping inside with his arm still securely fastened around Sakura's waist. With a smile he shut the door behind him and looked down at his wife who looked a little nervous. He chuckled, catching her attention as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Nervous?" She nodded slightly but turned to look at him with a determined look in her jade eyes.

"I'll be alright it's better telling them now then waiting for them to find out later." Gaara nodded kissing her lightly before beginning to walk to the living room where the television could be heard.

"Hey guys! Have a nice walk?" Temari asked happily from her position leaning on Shikamaru on the couch. Sakura nodded and moved to sit down on the loveseat across from the one Kankuro was so lazily lounging in. Shikamaru gave her a sideways look to which she nodded slightly receiving a small smile from the shadow nin. Kankuro had turned his attention to the Sakura with a smirk present on his face.

"You sure were out for a long time. Not getting into any trouble right little sis?" He waggled his eyebrows at Sakura causing Gaara to chuckle as he sat down.

"We took the long way around Suna to talk for a while then went to visit an old friend of ours and were detained for a while there." Kankuro chuckled and raised a hand in defeat.

"Alright I'll buy that." Sakura looked at Gaara for a moment an received a soft squeeze to the hand he still held in his own.

"We actually wanted to discuss something with you that we talked about tonight." Sakura stated, gaining the confidence to finally launch into telling them about the baby. Temari nodded sitting up and turning off the television thinking immediately it was probably something serious.

"Is everything alright? Has something happened with the rogues who captured Sakura? Another attack?" At this point Kankuro was sitting up as well and the light atmosphere in the room had grown tense. Sakura shook her head immediately dispelling some of the tension but not all of it.

"No nothing bad has happened at all. Actually it's rather the opposite." Sakura looked at Gaara who smiled at the confused Temari and Kankuro and the smirking Shikamaru.

"We've received some news. Good news that should be a rather big deal for all of us." Sakura watched as Temari grew even more intrigued by this.

"What's happened? Is someone else getting married?" Sakura shook her head.

"Not that we've heard of, no. It's something else." With a smile she looked at Gaara briefly before starting to speak again. "I wanted to tell you guys you now have something to brag about. Kankuro you and Shikamaru are the first two out of the entire group of our friends to become new Uncles. And Temari you're the first out of the group to become an Aunt." Temari and Kankuro froze for a moment before Temari jumped off of the couch yelling at the top of her lungs.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!?" Sakura grinned as Kankuro sat there completely still before bursting into a boisterous round of laughter. "Oh my Kami I'm going to be an Auntie! Gaara's going to be a dad and Shika's going to be an uncle and Sakura you're pregnant!" Temari had pulled Sakura into a huge hug before leaning over and kissing Gaara's cheek as Kankuro continued to laugh to the point of having tears on his face.

"Nice way of telling them. It was entertaining to watch." Shikamaru mused having stood up next to Temari who immediately shot him a disbelieving look.

"You already knew about it?!" Shika shrugged as Sakura laughed lightly.

"I couldn't hide it from him he found out right away." Temari shook her head and kissed Shikamaru's cheek with a smile on her face. The only one not joined in on the conversation at this point was Kankuro, who was still laughing on the couch. Gaara looked at his brother quizzically as Temari rolled her eyes before walking over and hitting him on the back of the head. His laughter slowed as he rubbed the sore spot now throbbing on his cranium as he stood up and shook his head slightly.

"Ouch Temari! Jeez don't tell me you don't find this even a little bit funny! I mean Gaara's having a kid! I thought him getting married was out of the range of possibility but I never in a million years put the words Gaara and kid in the same thought!" Gaara and Shikamaru chuckled as Sakura and Temari gave Kankuro a disapproving look.

"Oh like you didn't know it was going to happen eventually! I told you I knew they would have a kid soon." He put up his hands in defeat and smiled his usual troublemaker grin.

"Well I never said I wasn't happy for them. My little brother is having a kid before me. Man it makes me feel old. I need to get myself a wife soon huh? Can't have my brother showing me up with a perfect little family while Uncle Kankuro is the bachelor of the family!" Sakura hugged him as he smiled and clapped Gaara on the shoulder.

"I have no doubt you'll find a girl soon Kankuro. But in the meantime bachelor Uncle Kankuro will have to do." They all chuckled as the room began to calm down a little as Temari immediately jumped in to what Kankuro jokingly referred to as her new 'Auntie mode', wanting to know all of the details.

"When did you find out? How far along are you? Is it a boy or a girl?" Sakura sighed and sat back down on the loveseat as the boys took the opportunity to leave the girls to their chatting. They left the room in good spirits following Kankuro who had declared they needed beers to celebrate the news.

Sakura was left to fend off the barrage of questions her sister-in-law was now bombarding her with. "Well I found out when I was in Konoha but I didn't tell Gaara until tonight. I wasn't sure how he'd react and I knew I would have never been allowed on the mission if he had known." Temari nodded and urged her to continue. "Other than that I'm about 3 and a half months along and the baby's doing fine. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. I could try to find out now but it may not be accurate as the baby isn't very big yet. I'm actually probably going to wait until everyone knows before I find out if it's a boy or a girl." Temari nodded before smiling and leaning over happily to hug Sakura once again.

"Oh Kami I am so happy for you and Gaara. This means I'll have a little niece or nephew to spoil rotten! Also, we get to go shopping for baby things and maternity clothes for you soon!" Temari beamed as Sakura laughed and patted her stomach softly.

"Little early for maternity clothes, I'm only showing a little bit, just a small bump." Temari waved her off with one hand smiling happily.

"So when are you planning on letting Tsunade and the others know? Not to mention when are you going to let Suna know? I mean the child of a Kazekage and Kaze-hime is a big deal! I remember my Mom had saved newspaper clippings of articles that ran when she was pregnant with me, Kankuro, and Gaara. The village made a big deal about it for a while. Until we were born. I'd imagine you and Gaara's child will be a bigger deal than we were though. I mean you both are people who will be remembered eternally. Not to mention you bridge Suna and Konoha together so there will be two villages following your little baby bump, not just one. This is going to be a long five and half months Sakura." Sakura sighed and tapped her temple with one finger.

"Well I will put off telling anyone until after your wedding. That will be the talk of the town for a while and to be honest, better you have the spotlight than me. Besides, our friends will be coming out for the wedding and I can tell them just as easily after the wedding as I could before it." She proclaimed as Temari smirked.

"I talked to Shikamaru and Gaara while you were gone. We want to be married in Konoha in a week or so. We have more friends there and I have the luxury of not having to have a political wedding like you and Gaara did. Besides, Konoha in the summertime is more beautiful than Suna in the summertime anyways. More flowers and green and less sand in your face." She laughed as Sakura shook her head.

"I can't believe it's already practically Summer! Suna still feels as hot as ever but somehow I expected it to be hotter in the summer." The girls heard a chuckle as Kankuro walked into the room and plopped back down on the loveseat with a beer still in his hand.

"Just wait and it will get infinitely hotter than you ever thought possible. It is only June so it hasn't even started yet." Gaara nodded as he sat next to Sakura putting an arm around her as she leaned into him slightly.

"I just can't believe it's already almost summer I mean, Gaara and I were married in the Winter, honeymooned right as Spring settled in, and now we're expecting a baby in the Winter as well!" Shikamaru smiled as he laced his fingers with Temari's and looked over at Sakura with his usual lazy expression.

"Time moves fast doesn't it? I seem to remember a few weeks ago we were all in the Chunnin exams fighting each other and now look at us. You two are married and having a baby, we're getting married and Kankuro is still single but he is taller. We've all changed." Kankuro looked at Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow and then laughed heartily as the former merely smiled.

"He's right though. It does seem like it all happened so fast." Temari added with a softness in her voice. Sakura shook her head and laughed a little.

"Well I for one don't mind very much. I mean, I wouldn't have traded a single one of my experiences for anything, the good or the bad. If I had to do it all over again I can honestly say I would probably make the same choices and act the same as I have been doing my whole life." The others murmured their approval as Kankuro broke the wistful silence that followed with a loud yawn.

"Man knowing you're going to be an Uncle sure makes you feel tired! I'm going to go get some shut eye. You and the little one should as well little sis." He stood and smiled at her as Sakura rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, Uncle Kankuro, you worry about you I am the medic here remember?" She joked lightly as Kankuro gave her a genuine smile and a soft look usually not present on his face. He walked over and hugged her lightly as she stood and she returned it with a smile of her own on her face.

"Night big brother."

"Night little sis, night baby Sabaku." He wiggled his fingers at Sakura's stomach and chuckled before saying goodnight to the others and leaving the room.

"Well we might as well head to bed as well." Temari sighed walking over and pulling Sakura into a hug as well.

"Night Sakura, sleep well ok? Tomorrow we can go out for a while after you get back from work alright? Have a girls night celebration." She smiled and Sakura nodded turning to Shikamaru whom she hugged as he patted her back.

"Goodnight Sakura. Sweet dreams." He kissed her cheek before nodding to Gaara with an exchange of "Goodnight" between them before leaving with Temari. This left Gaara standing alone with Sakura who was beginning to feel the fatigue of the day catching up with her. Gaara pulled her close without a word and kissed her forehead before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her up to their room. He set her down and walked over to the closet where he put on his night clothes as his wife brushed her teeth in the bathroom.

After doing the same himself, he joined his pink haired wife in their bed where she immediately turned to him and pulled his head down for a kiss. In the darkness he looked down at her, his pale eyes looking into her own with a happiness and light she recognized from their wedding.

"Sakura, we're going to have a family together. You and I will have to plan a little and have more responsibility but don't think for a moment I don't love you and our baby more than anything else." Sakura smiled as Gaara pulled her close wrapping his arms around her protectively as she closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You are going to make a great father Gaara. I already know it. I love you." Gaara smiled and closed his eyes as well, stroking Sakura's hair lightly in the darkness.

"And you'll be a great mother Sakura." With a small kiss upon Sakura's head Gaara started to fall asleep with good thoughts on his mind.

With a groan Sakura woke up and trudged to the bathroom feeling pressure on her bladder once again. She had already gotten up once and had luckily managed to escape her husband's grasp without waking him up. After completely emptying her bladder once again she pulled open a drawer under the sink she had recently stocked with pregnancy pills. She had felt a little nausea coming on and the last thing she wanted was to get sick and wake Gaara up. The good thing about being a medic was that she had experience with working with pregnant women and knew exactly what pills to take for what symptoms. Grabbing an anti-nausea pill she downed it and went back to bed, curling up back in Gaara's arms which immediately enveloped her.

The morning came quickly and the pale light streaming in from behind the curtains in their room woke the sleeping Kazekage. With a slight stretch and a yawn he looked over at the small pinkette next to him sleeping soundly with a small smile on her face. His eyes softened as he brushed a lock of hair away from her face being careful not to wake her. His eyes roamed her body, following the gentle curve of her side that gave way to defined hips and muscular creamy legs entangled in the sheets. Her skin looked soft and supple in the delicate morning light and the small red mark on her neck stood out against the paleness of her skin. Gaara smiled as he saw her stir slightly but not wake, her body moving towards him in her sleep. He let his eyes wander to her stomach, now uncovered, as her top had slid up to reveal her small, protruding stomach in her sleep. With a gentle touch Gaara placed his hand on Sakura's hip and stroked her stomach lightly with his thumb. A small smile graced his face as he did so and he couldn't help but think how different his life had turned out from what he, and everyone else, had expected.

Sakura began to stir a little more and Gaara pulled his hand back as Sakura's eyes fluttered open. "M-morning Gaara-kun." She yawned. He smiled and leaned over to kiss her softly. With a small murmur of approval she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him more, pulling him in close as his arms slid around her and held her flush against him. She pulled back first laying her head against his chest as he kissed her neck softly.

"Do you want to get up Sakura?" She sighed and nodded.

"Well I do have work today. I've been gone for so long I hope the hospital isn't in shambles again." With a stretch of her arms she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing up and walking over to the dresser pulling out her usual clothes before walking into the bathroom to get ready.

A few minutes later a well-rested Sakura walked down the stairs and into the kitchen tugging on her shirt a little as it seemed a bit tight. She was a bit surprised seeing as it was made of stretchy material. Temari watched her from the table as she tugged at it and smiled a bit to herself. "Sakura I told you you're going to need maternity clothes soon." The pinkette laughed as she opened the fridge, pulling out an apple and an egg that had already been hard boiled.

"Ok I'll give it to you. You were right. We'll go shopping after my work today alright?" Temari grinned and sipped her coffee as Shikamaru, who had been reading the newspaper, chuckled.

"She's a hard girl to refuse. Troublesome woman." Temari smirked as she set down her coffee and turned to talk to Sakura who had just sat down to eat her breakfast.

"So what do you have in mind for maternity clothes anyways?" Sakura gave her a look that suggested that Temari already knew the answer.

"Well I don't want to draw attention to myself so looser fitting versions of the clothing I have now. Maybe later on I'll change style to dresses and things but for now I want to keep it on the down low. If others saw me in a totally different style of clothes all of a sudden they would ask questions." Temari nodded understandingly as Sakura finished up her boiled egg and moved on to the apple.

"So I guess you and Gaara will be pretty busy getting ready to leave again huh? What with our wedding in Konoha and the Chunin Exams coming up again pretty soon." Shikamaru looked up over the top of his newspaper at Temari with a lazy expression on his face.

"Tch, the exams are right after our wedding aren't they? Great I forgot I was asked to help with the exams this year, troublesome." Temari rolled her eyes and looked over at her fiancé with a slight smile on her face.

"Well it's a good thing I remembered. That's one of the reasons I suggested having our wedding in Konoha. That was Sakura and Gaara can have a legitimate reason to be there longer after our wedding." Sakura chuckled as Shikamaru and Temari argued slightly, both with smiles on their faces, as Gaara walked in to the room and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Are you ready to leave? I'll walk you to the Hospital." Sakura nodded and stood calling goodbye to Temari and Shikamaru who both stopped arguing long enough to call goodbye to them as well.

Gaara opened the door to Suna and immediately a wave of heat hit them both. With a small groan Sakura stepped outside and looked over at Gaara. "Please tell me the hospital is well air conditioned." Gaara chuckled and nodded as Sakura sighed. They stepped out into their yard reaching the gate and opening it before stepping on the sandy streets of their village. The walk to the hospital was not a far one but to Sakura it felt much farther in the mounting heat the Suna sun was already providing. Gaara seemed rather unaffected by it whereas the woman next to him felt as if she could use a huge glass of ice water already on their short walk to the hospital.

The couple approached the doors of the hospital and as they did so Sakura could already tell it was going to be a long day judging by the boy being carried through the doors on a stretcher past them. She turned to Gaara who smiled at her and leaned down to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

"Don't work too hard today Sakura. I can't have you getting sick or overly tired for the next five months." Sakura looked up at her husband as he smiled and laid a hand on her stomach for a moment before pulling away and waving goodbye to her before turning to go.

Sakura herself stood there watching him leave for a moment before turning and walking into the hospital prepared to face the trials of the day with a smile on her face.

END OF CHAPTER 68! REVIEWS PLEASE AS ALWAYS! I LOVE MY REVIEWERS AND READERS!


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